Propertius

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THE

LOEB CLASSICAL LIBRARY

A WOKD ABOUT ITS PUKPOSE
AND ITS SCOPE

THE idea of arranging for the issue of this
Library was suggested to me by my friend
Mr. Salomon Reinach, the French savant.
It appealed to me at once, and my imagination was
deeply stirred by the tliought that here might be
found a practical and attractive w^ay to revive
the lagging interest in ancient literature which
has for more than a generation been a matter
of so much concern to educators. In an a^ce
when the Humanities are being neglected more
perhaps than at any time since the Middle Ages,
and when men*'^ minds are turning more than
ever before to the practical and the material, it
does not suffice to make pleas, however eloquent
and convincing, for the safeguarding and further
enjoyment of our greatest heritage from tbe past.

i ^*

Means must be found to place these treasures
within the reach of all who care for the finer
things of life. The mechanical and social
achievements of our day must not blind our eyes
to the fact that, in all that relates to man, his
nature and aspirations, we have added Httle or
nothing to what has been so finely said by the
great men of old.

It has always seemed to me a pity that the
young people of our generation should grov^^ up
with such scant knowledge of Greek and Latin
literature, its wealth and variety, its freshness
and its imperishable quality. The day is past when
schools could afibrd to give sufiicient time and
attention to the teaching of the ancient languages
to enable the student to get that enjoyment out
of classical literature that made the lives of our
grandfathers so rich. The demand for something
" more practical,''' the large variety of subjects
that miist be taught, are crowding hard upon the
Humanities. To make the beauty and learning,
the philosophy and wit of the great writers of
ancient Greece and Rome once more accessible by
means of translations that are in themselves real
pieces of literature, a thing to be read for the
pure joy of it, and not duU transcripts of ideas
that suggest in every line the existence of a finer

11

original from which the average reader is shiit
out, aiid to place side by side with these transla-
tions the best critical texts of the original works,
is the task I have set myself.

In France more than in any country the need
has been felt of supplying readers who are not in
a technical sense "scholars'*' with editions of the
classics, giving text and translation, either in
Latin or French, on opposite pages. Almost all
the Latin authors and many Greek authors have
been pubHshed in this way by the well-known
firms, Panckoucke, Firmin-Didot, Ilachette, and
Garnier. In Gerrnany only a handful of Greek
authors were issued in this form during the
first half of the nineteenth century. No col-
lection of this kind exists in English-speaking
countries.

Before venturitig on so large an undertaking as
is involved in the task I had set myself I consuited
a number of distinguished scholars as to the
desirability of such a series. My correspondence
ranged from St. Petersburg to San Francisco, and
the replies to my inqniry conveyed an ahnost
unanimous and unqualified approval. I was also
encouraged by the opinion of several experienced
publishers, who agreed that the time is ripe for
the execution of such a project. I therefore set

iii

to work, and after two and a half years of not
inconsiderable labour I now have the privilege
and the satisfaction of accompanying the earl}
volumes of the series with this preface.

The following eminent scholars, represent-
ing Great Britain, the United States, Germany,
and france, kindly consented to serve on the
Advisory Board ;

Edwarb Capps, Ph.D.5 of Princeton Uni-

versity.
Maurice Croiset, Member of the Institut de

France.
Otto Ciiusius, Ph.D., Litt.D.5 of the Uni-

versity of Munich, Member of the Royal

Bavarian Academy of Science.
Hermann Diels, Ph.D., of the University of

Berlin, Secretary of the Royal Academy

of Science, Berhn.
J. G. Feazer, D.C.L., LL.D., Litt.D., of

Ca mbridge Un i versi ty .
A. D. GoDLEY, M.A., Pabhc Orator of the

University of Oxford.
WiLLiAM G. Hale, Ph.D., of Chicago

University.
Salomon Reinach, Member of the Institut

de Prance.

iv

SiR J. E. Sandys^ Litt.D., Public Orator of

Cambridge University.
JoHN WiLiJAMS White, Ph.D., ProfessoF

Emeritus of Ilarvard University.

I was also fortunate in securing as Editors
Mr. T. E. Page, M.A., until recently a Master at
the Charterhouse School, and. Dr. W. H. D. Rouse,
Litt.D., Head Master of the Perse Grammar
School, in Cambridge, England. Their critical
judgment, their thorough scholarship and wide
acquaintance with ancient and modern literature,
are the best guarantee that the translations will
combine accuracy with sound. Enghsh idiom.

Wherever modern translations of marked ex-
cellence were already in existence efforts were
made to secure them for the Library, but in
a number of instances copyright could. not be
obtained. I mention this because I anticipate
that we may be criticised for issuing new trans-
lations in certain cases where they might perhaps
not seem to be required. But as the Series is to
include all that is of value and of interest in
Greek and Latin literature, from the time of
Homer to the Fall of Constantinople, no othei
course was possible. On the other hand, manji
readers will be glad to see that we have included

V

several of those stately and inimitable translatioiis
niade in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth
centuries, which are counted among the classics
of the English language. Most of the translations
will, however, be wholly new, and many of the best
scholars in Great Britain, the United States, and
Canada have already promised their assistance and
are now engaged upon the work. As a general rule,
the best available critical texts will be used, but in
quite a number of cases the texts will be especially
prepared for this Library.

The announcement of this new Series has been
greeted with so many cordial expressions of good-
will from so m.any quarters that I am led to
believe that it will fill a long-felt want, and
that it will prove acceptable to a wide circle of
readers, not only to-day, but also in the future.

These books will appeal not only to scholars
who care for a uniform series of the best texts,
and to coIle£2;e i-Taduates who wish to renew and
enlarge their knowledge with the help of text and
translation, but also to those who know neither
Greek nor Latin, and yet desire to reap the fruits
of ancient genius and wisdom. Some readers, too,
may be enticed by the text printed opposite the
translation to gather an elementary knowledgc
of Greek and Latin, thus greatly enhancing the

vi

interest of their reading ; while the teacher of
modern literature will, I trust, find these books
useful in the effort to make his students acquainted
with the prototypes of practically every style of
modern literary composition.

It is my pleasant duty to expresig my sincere
thanks to all those on both sides of the Atlantic
whose hearty co-operation and help have made my
task at once easy and agreeable. Nor can I find
a happier way of commending this new Classical
Series to the pubHc than by quoting Goethe^s
words :

" Man studiere nicht die Mitgeborenen und
Mitstrebenden, sondern grosse Menschen der
Vorzeit, deren Werke seit Jahrhunderten
gleichen Wert und gleiches Ansehen behalten
haben. . . . Man studiere Moliere, man
studiere Shakespeare, aber vor allen Dingen,
die alten Griechen, und immer die alten
Griechen.^'

JAMES LOEB

MUNICH

Scfteviber 1, 1912

vn

THE LOEB CLASSICAL LIBRARY

EDITEl) BY
T. B. PAGE, M.A., AND W. H. D. EOUSB, Litt.D.

PROPERTIUS

PROPERTIUS

WITH AN ENGLISH TEANSLATION BY

H. E. BUTLER, M.A.

PROFESSOR OF LATIN IN THE UNIVERSITY
OF LONDON

LONDON : WILLIAM HEINEMANN
NEW YORK : THE MACMILLAN CO.

MCMXII

MilR29 1937

9 4^C

PREFACE

A FEW words are necessary in connection witli tlie
text contained in this volume. There are a number
of passages in Propertius where it cannot be said
that any certain emendation has been made. In such
cases I have inserted the most plausible correction in
the text^ in order not to confuse readers of the trans-
lation. I do not wish it to be supposed that I regard
such corrections as certain. In some cases they are
only a pis aller. Propertius presents such difficulties
to the translator that an apology for its deficiencies
is perhaps unnecessary. No one is more sensible of
them than myself. I have attempted^ as far as pos-
sible, to keep close to the Latin^ even in cases — and
they are not a few — where from the point of view of
style a free paraphrase would have been in many
ways preferable.

H. E. BUTLER

LoNDON^ 1912

V

THE LIFE OF PROPERTIUS

We know little of Propertiiis_, save for what we can
gather from his own poems and a few references to
him in later Latin writers. His name was Sextus
Propertius. The majority of the MSS.^ with the
important exception of the Codex Neapolitcmiis, style
him Sextus Aurelius Propertius Nauta. Nmita is
demonstrably absurd. Propertius expresses the Kve-
liest terror of the sea in his poems^ and the name is
accounted for by the absurd reading of the MSS. in
II. XXIV. 38^ qiiamvis navita dives eras. Aiirelius is
equally impossible. Both AureHus and Propertius are
nomina gentilicia, and such names were not doubled
at this period.

His birthplace was Assisi. The position of that
town suits the indications given in I. xxii. and IV. i.
61-66 and 121-126. The narae Asis in the two latter
passages (where some^following Lachmann, read Asisi),
though not found elsewhere^ seems pretty conclusive^
while in the '^ Umbrian lake " mentioned in IV. i. 1 24
we have a reference to a shallow lake in the plain
below Assisij which existed till the Middle Ages.
P^inally^ Pliny the Younger in two of his letters (vi. 15
and IX. 22) mentions a certain Passennus PauIIus^
a descendant of Propertius and a citizen of the same
town. An inscription bearing his name has been
found at Assisi.

Propertius was born in all probability between

f'/\ vii

THE LIFE OF PROPERTIUS

54 B.c. (the earliest possible date for Tibullus' birth)
and 43 b.c. (the date of Ovid's birth). This is indi-
cated by Ovid {Trisiia, iv. x. 51-54)^ who gives a
catalogue of the elegiac poets in the following
chronological order : Galhis^ Tibullus^ Propertius^
Ovid. Further^ in IV. i. 127-140 Propertius impKes
that he lost his father while very young^ and entered
on his diminished inheritance shortly after the distri-
butiori of land among the veterans of Octavian and
Antony in 41 b.c. Further^ I. xxi, shows that he was
old enough to be impressed by the death of a relative
or neighbour in the Perusine war of 40 b.c. His birth
may tiierefore be conjecturally placed between 50
and 48 b.c. The mention of his having worn the
aurea lmlla{lV. i. 131-134) shows him to have been of
equestrian rank (see PHn. N. H. xxxiii. 1 0)^ while from
the same passage we learn that he had been destined
for the bar, but deserted it for poetry. Soon after his
assumption of the toga virilis he fell in love with a
certain Lycinna (III. xv. 3-6). How long tliis liaison
lasted we cannot tell ; we only know that his meeting
with Cynthia caused him to forget Lycinna but two
years after his first acquaintance with love (III. xv.
1 , 8). Cynthia was the one deep passion of his Hfe ; she
was the first woman whom he really loved, and there
is notliing to make us think that she was not the last_,
though in the end^ no doubt after many infidelities
on both sides^ he broke with her (see last two elegies
of Book III.). Cynthia's real name was Hostia, a
fact which we learn from Apuleius' Apologia (c. x.).
She was a courtesan, for II. vii. 7 shows that it was im-
possible for him to marry her : the leoc Papia Poppaea
enacted that no man of free birth might marry a
prostitute^ and the only possible interpretation of
the passage in question is that the unknown law to

viii

THE LIFE OF PROPERTIUS

which Propertius refers coiitained similar provisions.
Further^ the same poem shows that he was unmarried
and unwiUing to marry any one else_, while there can
be no doubt that Cynthia was unmarried^ for among
the objects of his jealousy Propertius never makes
mention of a husband. It is possible that she may
have been descended from Hostius^ an epic poet of the
second century b.c. (see III. xx. 8^ note). We gather
from the poems of Propertius that she had a gift for
singing, dancing^ and poetry, was tall and yellow-
haired^ vvith black eyes. We cannot trace the history
of the liau'071 with any clearness. Neither party was
faithful^ and the course of love did not run smooth.
On one occasion (see III. xvi. 9) there was a breach
which lasted for a whole year. The quarrel was^
however^ made up^ and at the close of the third
book^ where Propertius finally breaks with her^ he
claims to have been iier faithful slave for five years
(III. XX v. 3). In the fourth book Cynthia is men-
tioned in only two poems (vii. and viii.)^ though there
is probably a reference to her in the fifth elegy ; the
seventh tells us that she died negiected and was
buried near Tibur.

Propertius left four books of elegies behind him.
It is hard to determine the dates of tlieir publica-
tion. It is probable that Book I. was published about
26 B.c/ Book II. about 24 or early in 23 b.c, Book III.
in 22 or 21 b.c The fourth book was published not
eaiiier tlian l6 b.c^ as both the fifth and eleventh
poems refer to events of that year. As to the latter
years of Propertius' life we know nothing. It is
perhaps probable that he died not long after the

1 It was publiyhed separately under the title Cynthia.
Cp. II. III. 4 (also Martial, xiv. 189). In some of the MSS.
of Propertius it has the title Cynthia Monohiblos.

ix

THE LIFE OF PROPERTIUS

publication of Book IV. But we cannot base any
very strong argument on his silence from song. He
may even have married and had children. PHny the
Younger {Ep. vi. 1 5) says that the poet Passennus
Paulhis counted Propertius among his ancestors. All
that we can be certain of is that he died before 2 a.d.^
for Ovid in the Reinedmm Amoris (published about that
year) speaks of him in language (i. 764) appropriate
only to one already dead. References to Propertius
in ancient writers are rare. The only reference
of interest (and that an uncertain one) is found
in the Epistles of Horace (ii. ii. 9l)j> where Horace
derides a bard who claims to be a second CalH-
machus (cj). Prop. IV. i. 64). QuintiUan (x. i. 93)
says that some critics ranked Propertius first among
Roman elegiac poets, but that he personally prefers
Tibulhis.

THE MSS. OF PROPERTIUS

N. The best MS. of Propertius is the Codex
N eapolitanus , now at Wolfenbiittel (Gud. 224). It
contains the whole of the poet's works with the
exception of IV. ii. 11-76^ where four pages have

been lost. It dates from the twelfth centurv.

»1

To supplement iV we have three MSS. belonging
to another family^ but on the whole agreeing with A''.
These are :

(!) A. The Codex Vossiamis ?>S, now at Leyden.
This MS. contains Book I. and the first sixty-two lines
of II. I. It dates from the early fourteenth centuiy.

(2) F. The Codex Laiireiitiamis , now at Florence^ in
the Laurentian Library (plut. 36,, 49). It contains the
whole of PropertiuS; and dates from the close of the
fourteenth or the very beginning of the lifteenth
century.

(3) L. The Codex Holkhamiciis , now in the library
of the Earl of Leicester at Holkham. It contains
Propertius from II. xxi. 3 to the end, and is dated
1421.

Two other MSS. may be mentioned. They closely
follow Ny and are useful where N fails us in Book IV.
They are :

(1) ^. The Co^/e^' P«rm?i?/A' (8233), sometimes called
MemmiamiSy written in 1465.

(2) V. The Codex Urbinas (641)_, in the Vatican. It
likewise dates from the fifteenth century.

THE MSS. OF PROPERTIUS

r. In addition to these MSS. there are a large
number of inferior fifteenth-century MSS. Among
these are two MSS. which since the edition of
Baehrens have appeared in the apparatiis ciiticus of
modern texts. They are (l) the Codex Daventriensis
(1792)^ now at Deventer^ and the Codex Ottohoniano-
Vaticanus (1514), now in the Vatiean. Both are late-
fifteenth-century MSS. Mr. O. L. Richmond [Journal
of Philology, XXXI. I6I) has shown that they do not
deserve the position assigned to them by Baehrens,
and that they must be ranked among the inferior
MSS. as possessing no independent value.

Where MSS. other than N, A, F, L, fi, v are
mentioned their catalogue reference is given.

The text of Propertius is undoubtedly very corrupt.
The sequence of thought is at times so broken that
the reader necessarily concludes that one of two
things has happened : («) couplets have been lost,
or (6) the order of the lines has been dislocated.
While the second alternative is possible, and while
various scholars (the best example is Professor
Postgate in the new Corpns PoetaJimi Latinoruni)
have attempted to save the situation by wholesale
transposition, as yet no scientific system of trans-
position has been discovered^ and no satisfactory
theory has been put forward to account for the
dislocation. The first is therefore the safer course.

Xll

NOTE ON THE DIVISION INTO

BOOKS

Lachmann held that Propertius' poems should be
divided into five books, not;, as the MSS. divide
them, into four. His main argument is based on
II. xiii.a 9.5, sat mea sii magno, sitres sint pompa libelli.
He argues that the words ti^es lihelli show that the
poem in question must have formed part of the third
book. He therefore made the third book begin with
II. x.^ and treated the third and fourth books as
recorded in the MSS. as fourth and fifth. But it
does not seem necessary to give the words tres
lihelli so literal a meaning^ and it is worth noting
that the grammarian Nonius^ p. l69^ quotes III. xxi. 1 4
as coming from the third book. The division as given
in our MSS. would seem^ therefore^ to be as old as
Nonius. Lachmann's division is followed in some
texts {e,g., Haupt-Vahlen and L. Miiller)^ and much
confusion has been caused as regards references to
Propertius. Lachmann's theory has^ however^ been
abandoned by all other editors. If the argument
as to tres lihelli is to be used again^ it will have to
be used on different lines^ and associated with some
theory of the dislocation of the text.

Xlll

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

The first edition of Propertius was published in 1487
(ed. Beroaldus). Baehrens (Leipzig^ 1880) was the
first to put the text on a scientific basis. His text is
much marred by arbitrary and tasteless conjectures^
but the preface is important. Since then texts have
been edited by Palmer (London, 1880)^ Postgate (in
Coiyus Poetariiin Latiiwrum, London, 1894)^ Philli-
more (Oxford^ 1901^ and Riccardi Press^ London,
191 1);^ Hosius (Teubner Series^ 1912). Of these
Postgate*s text alone is other than conservative in
tendency. The only modern commentaries are by
Rothstein (Berhn, 1898) and Butler (London, 1905).
Of the older commentaries those of Passerat (Paris^
I6O8), Lachmann (Leipzig^ 18l6^ and BerHn^ 1829)^,
and Hertzberg (Halle^ 1843-45) will onthe whole be
found most useful. There are also good editions of
selected elegies by Postgate (London, 1881) and
Ramsay (Oxford^ 1900, 3rd ed.). The sixth edition
of Haupt's recension (1904, Leipzig), revised by
Vahlen, and accompanied by texts of Catullus and
TibuIIus, is an elegant volume, which follows Lach-
mann's division into five books, and contains no
apparatus criticus.

For literary estimates of Propertius the reader may
go to Sellar, Roman Poetry under Augustus : Elegiac
Poets (Oxford), and Ribbeck's well-known History of
Roman Poetry.

XV

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Themost important separate treatises onthe MSS.
are Solbisky^ De CodcL Propertii (Weimar^ 1882);
Housman^ Journal of Philology, vols. xxi._, xxii.^ Nos.
41-43 ; Postgate, Some MSS. of Properfiiis {Trans,
Camhridge Philol. Soc. iv. 1); while O. L. Richmond,
Towards a Recension of Propertius {Joiirnal of Philo-
logy, vol. XXXI.), is also worth consulting. For a
general discussion of questions connected with Pro-
pertius see Plessis, Etudes sur Properce (Paris, 1886),
and more especially Schanz, Geschichte der Rmnische^i
Litteratur, Part 2, § 285 sqq. TeufFers History of
Latin Literature (English trans.) contains much of
the same information, but is an older book and less
thorough.

SIGLA

N = Codex Neapolitanus.

A = Codex Vossianus.

F — Codex Laurentianus.

L = Codex Holkhamicus.

^ = Codex Parisinus or Memmianus.

V = Codex Urbinas.

^ = Codices deteriores.

XVI

PROPEKTIUS

BOOK I

SEXTI PKOPERTI
ELEGIAKYM

LIBER PRIMVS
I

Cynthia prima suis miserum me cepit ocellis,

contactum nuUis ante cupidinibus.
tum mihi constantis deiecit lumina fastus

et caput impositis pressit Amor pedibus^
donec me docuit castas odisse puellas

improbus^ et nullo vivere consilio.
et mihi iam toto furor hic non deficit anno^

cum tamen adversos cogor habere deos.
Milanion nullos fugiendo^ Tulle_, labores

saevitiam durae contudit lasidos. 10

nam modo Partheniis amens errabat in antris_,

ibat et hirsutas ille videre feras ;
ille etiam Hylaei percussus verbere ^ rami

saucius Arcadiis rupibus ingemuit.
ergo velocem potuit domuisse puellam :

tantum in amore preces et benefacta valent.
in me tardus Amor non uUas cogitat artes^

nec meminit notas^ ut prius^ ire vias.

1 Y erhere Baehrens : vulnere i\^; 2irhor e AF.
2

PROPERTIUS
THE ELEGIES

THE FIRST BOOK

Ah ! woe is me ! *twas Cynthia first ensnared me
with her eyes ; till then my heart had felt no
passion's fire. But then Love made me lower my
glance of pride unbending^ and with implanted feet
bowed down my head, till of his cruelty he taught
me to spurn all honest maids^ and to live a life of
recklessness.

"^ A year has passed and my madness is not
stayed^ though my suit perforce endures the frown
of heaven. Yet Milanion shrank not^ Tullus, from
any toils^ howsoe'er hard, and so subdued the cruel
heart of the unrelenting daughter of lasus. For
now he wandered love-distraught in the Parthenian
caverns^ and went to face the shaggy creatures of
the wild. Nay^ more^ hardstricken once by the club
of Hylaeus^ he groaned in agony on the rocks of
Arcady. So at last was he able to conquer the
swift-footed maid ; such is the reward that prayers
and loyal service win for love. But for me^ slow-
witted Love hath lost his craft and forgets to tread
the paths that once he trod.

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

at vos^ deductae quibus est fallacia lunae

et labor in magicis sacra piare focis^ 20

en agedum dominae mentem convertite nostrae,

et facite illa meo palleat ore magis !
tunc ego crediderim vobis et sidera et amnes

posse Cytaeines ^ ducere carminibus.
aut 2 vos^ qui sero lapsum revocatis^ amici^

quaerite non sani pectoris auxilia.
fortiter et ferrum saevos patiemur et ignes^

sit modo libertas quae velit ira loqui.
ferte per extremas gentes et ferte per undas_,

qua non ulla meum femina norit iter : 30

vos remanete^ quibus facili deus annuit aure^

sitis et in tuto semper amore pares.
in me nostra Venus noctes exercet amaras^

et nullo vacuus tempore defit Amor.
hoc^ moneo^ vitate malum : sua quemque moretur

cura^ neque assueto mutet amore locum.
quod si quis monitis tardas adverterit aures^

heu referet quanto verba dolore mea !

11

QviD iuvat ornato procedere^ vita^ capillo
et tenues Coa veste movere sinus ?

aut quid Orontea crines perfundere murra^
teque peregrinis vendere muneribus ;

1 Cytaeines Hertzberg : cythalinis etc, NAF,

2 aut Hemsterhuys : et NAF.

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK 1

^^ But ye who beguile men's hearts by luring the
moon from heaven^ and toil to solemnise dread rites
on magic altars, go change my mistress' heart and
make her cheeks grow paler than mine own. Then
will I trust your claims to have power over stars
and rivers to lead them whithersoever ye will by
Colchian charms.

^^ Or else do ye^ my friends^ that would recall me
ali too late from the downward slope, seek all the
remedies for a heart diseased. Bravely will I bear
the cruel cautery and the knife^ if only I may win
Hberty to speak the words mine anger prompts.
Ah ! bear me far thro' nations and seas at the world*s
end, where never a woman may trace my path. Do
ye abide at home^ to whose prayer the god gives easy
audience and answers ^^ Yea/' and either to other
make equal response of love unperilous. Against me
Venus_, our common mistress^ pHes nights of bitter-
ness^ and Love that hath no respite faileth never.

^^ Lovers^ I warn ye all. Fly the woe that now is
mine : cUng each one to his own beloved, and never
change when love has found its home. But if any
all too late give ear to these my warnings, ah ! with
what agony will he recall my words !

II

What boots it_, light of my life^ to go forth with
locks adorned, and to rustle in slender folds of Coan
silk ? Or avails it aught to steep thy tresses in the
myrrh of Orontes_, to parade thyself in the gifts that
aUens bring, to spoil the grace of nature by the

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

naturaeque decus mercato perdere cultu^

nec sinere in propriis membra nitere bonis ?
crede mihi^ non ulla tua est medicina figurae :

nudus Amor formae non amat artificem.
aspice quos summittat humus formosa colores ;

ut veniant hederae sponte sua melius^ 10

surgat et in solis formosius arbutus antris^

et sciat indociles currere lympha vias.
litora nativis persuadent picta lapillis^

et volucres nulla dulcius arte canunt.
non sic Leucippis succendit Castora Phoebe^

Pollucem cultu non Hilaira soror ;
non^ Idae et cupido quondam discordia Phoebo_,

Eueni patriis filia litoribus ;
nec Phrygium falso traxit candore maritum

avecta externis Hippodamia rotis : 20

sed facies aderat nullis obnoxia gemmis^

qualis Apelleis est color in tabulis.
non illis studium vulgo conquirere amantes :

illis ampla satis forma pudicitia.
non ego nunc verear ? ne ^ sim tibi vilior istis :

uni si qua placet, culta puella sat est ;
cum tibi praesertim Phoebus sua carmina donet

Aoniamque libens Calliopea lyram^
unica nec desit iucundis gratia verbis^

omnia quaeque Venus^ quaeque Minerva probat. 30
his tu semper eris nostrae gratissima vitae^

taedia dum miserae sint tibi luxuriae.

1 verear ? ne Jaooh : vereor ne NAF»

6

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

charms tliat gold can buy nor allow thy limbs to
shine in the glory that is their own ? BeHeve me^
thou hast no art can make thy form more fair ; Love
himself goes naked and hates those that make a craft
of beauty. See what hues lovely earth sends forth ;
'tis the wikl ivy springs fairest ever; lovehest the
arbutus that grows in the caverns of the wilderness,
and all untaught are the channels where the waters
run. Begemmed with native pebbles the shores
beguile our eyes^ and birds sing sweetHer from their
lack of art.

^^ 'Twas not by art that Phoebe^ Leucippus' child,
fired the heart of Castor^ nor by adornments that
Hilaira her sister won the love of PoUux. Not so
did Euenus' daughter become a bride, for whom of
old Idas and passionate Phoebus strove ; by no false
briUiance did Hippodamia lure to her side her
Phrygian spouse^ and was whirled away on aHen
chariot-wheels. Unto no jewels their faces were
beholden^ pure as the hues that shine in ApeHes'
pictures. They never craved to gather lovers through
all the land ; enough for them^ if their beauty was
clothed with chastity. Have I not then good cause
for fear ? Ah ! count me not cheaper than those
vile wretches tiiat seek thy love ! With one true
lover a maid hath enough of lionour ; so most of all,
if Phoebus grant^ as to thee^ his boon of song and
CaHiope^ nothing lotii, bestow^ Aonia's lyre, and every
merry word is graced with wondrous charm^ even
by all that Venus and aU that Minerva loves. All
these things shall make thee dearest to my heart, if
thou wilt but cast aside thy hateful luxury.

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

III

QvALis Thesea iacuit cedente carina

languida desertis Gnosia litoribus ;
qualis et accubuit primo Cepheia somno

libera iam duris cotibus Andromede ;
nec minus assiduis Edonis fessa choreis

qualis in herboso concidit Apidano :
tahs visa mihi mollem spirare quietem

Cynthia non certis nixa caput manibus^
ebria cum multo traherem vestigia Baccho^

et quaterent sera nocte facem pueri. 10

hanc ego_, nondum etiam sensus deperditus omnes^

molliter impresso conor adire toro ;
et quamvis dupHci correptum ardore iuberent

hac Amor hac Liber, durus uterque deus^
subiecto leviter positam temptare lacerto

osculaque admota sumere avara ^ manu^
non tamen ausus eram dominae turbare quietem^

expertae metuens iurgia saevitiae ;
sed sic intentis haerebam fixus ocellis^

Argus ut ignotis cornibus Inachidos. 20

et modo solvebam nostra de fronte corollas

ponebamque tuis^ Cynthia^ temporibus ;
et modo gaudebam lapsos formare capillos ;

nunc furtiva cavis poma dabam manibus ;
omniaque ingrato largibar munera somno^

munera de prono saepe voluta sinu ;

1 avara Baehrens : et arma NAF,
8

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK l

III

LiKE as the maid of Cnossus lay swooning on the
desert strand whilst the bark of Theseus sped swift
away^ or as Andromeda^ child of Cepheus^ sank into
her first sleep^ freed at last from her hard couch
of rock^ or as the Thracian maenad_, no less fore-
done by the unending dance, lies sunk in slumber
on the grassy banks of Apidanus, even so^ me-
seemed, did Cynthia breathe the spirit of gentle
rest^ her head propped on faltering hands, when I
came dragging home my reeling feet^ drunken
with deep draughts of wine^ and the slaves were
shaking their dying torches in the gloom of night
far-spent.

^^ Not yet were all my senses drowned^ and I strove
to approach her where she lay_, and lightly pressed
against her couch. And although a twofold frenzy
had laid hold upon me, and the two inexorable gods
of wine and love urged on this side and on that^ with
gentle touch I tried to pass mine arm about her where
she lay, and with outstretched hand take passionate
toll of kisses ; yet I had not dared to break in upon
my mistress' rest (for I feared the bitter chidings of
that cruel tongue,, so oft endured by me), but fixed
my gaze upon her with tireless eyes, even as Argus
glared on the strange horned brow of the daughter
of Inachus. And now I loosed the chaplets from my
brow and placed them^ Cynthia^ about thy head_, and
now rejoiced to compose thy straying locks ; and
stealthily with hollowed hands gave thee apples^
and on thy thankless slumbers lavished every gift_,
gifts poured abundantly from my bosom as I bowed
above thee. And if at times thou didst move and

9

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

et quotiens raro duxti i suspiria motu^

obstupui vano credulus auspicio^
ne qua tibi insolitos portarent visa timores^

neve quis invitam cogeret esse suam : 30

donec diversas praecurrens luna fenestras_,

luna moraturis sedula luminibus,
compositos levibus radiis patefecit ocellos.

sic ait in molli fixa toro cubitum :
^'^tandem te nostro referens iniuria lecto

alterius clausis expulit e foribus ?
namque ubi longa meae consumpsti tempora noctis^

languidus exactis^ ei mihi_, sideribus ?
o utinam tales perducas^ improbe^ noctes,

me miseram quales semper habere iubes ! 40

nam modo purpureo fallebam stamine somnum^

rursus et Orpheae carmine^ fessa^ lyrae ;
interdum leviter mecum deserta querebar

externo longas saepe in amore moras :
dum me iucundis lapsam sopor impulit alis.

illa fuit lacrimis ultima cura meis."

IV

QviD mihi tam multas laudando^ Basse^ puellas

mutatum domina cogis abire mea ?
quid me non pateris vitae quodcumque sequetur

hoc magis assueto ducere servitio ?
tu licet Antiopae formam Nycteidos^ et tu

Spartanae referas laudibus Hermionae^
1 duxti r : duxit NAF,
10

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

sigh, I started for fear (though vain was the presage
which won my beUef) that visions of the night
brought thee strange terrors or that some phantom-
lover constrained thee to be his against thy will.

^^ But at last the moon gliding past the windows
over against her couch^ the officious moon with Hnger-
ing light^ opened her fast-closed eyes with its gentle
beams. Then with elbow propped on the soft couch
she cried :

^^ ^^At length another's scorn has driven thee
forth and closed the doors against thee and brought
thee home to my bed once more. For where hast thou
passedthe long hours of the night^ that was plighted
to me^ thou that comest to me outworn when the
stars — ah, me !— are driven from the sky ? Mayst
thou, cruel heart^ endure the long agony of nights
such as ever thou bidst me broken-hearted keep. For
but now I was beguiUng mine eyes from slumber
with purple broidery^ and then^ work-wearied^ with
the music of Orpheus' lyre. And ever and anon, left
thus forlorn_, I made gentle moan unto myself^ that
oft thou lingerest locked in another's arms^ till at the
last I sank down and sleep fanned my limbs with
kindly wings. That was my last thought amid my
tears."

IV

Why, Bassus, by praising the beauty of so many
fair ones dost thou urge me to change my course
and leave my mistress ? Why sufferest thou me not
to spend in her fetters, to which my heart grows ever
more enured^ whate'er of life the future has in store ?
Thou mayest praise the beauty of Antiopa, the child
of Nycteus^ the charms of Spartan Hermione and all

11

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

et quascumque tulit formosi temporis aetas ;

Cynthia non illas nomen habere sinat :
nedum, si levibus fuerit collata figuris^

inferior duro iudice turpis eat. 10

haec sed forma mei pars est extrema furoris ;

sunt maiora^ quibus_, Basse^ perire iuvat :
ingenuus color et multis decus artibus_, et quae

gaudia sub tacita dicere veste libet.
quo magis et nostros contendis solvere amores^,

hoc magis accepta fallit uterque fide.
non impune feres : sciet haec insana puella

et tibi non tacitis vocibus hostis erit ;
nec tibi me post haec committet Cynthia nec te

quaeret ; erit tanti criminis illa memor, 20

et te circum omnes alias irata puellas

differet : heu nullo limine carus eris.
nullas illa suis contemnet fletibus aras^

et quicumque sacer, qualis ubique, lapis.
non uUo gravius temptatur Cynthia damno^

quam sibi cum rapto cessat amore deus :
praecipue nostri. maneat sic semper^ adoro^

nec quicquam ex illa quod querar inveniam I

V

Invide_, tu tandem voces compesce molestas
et sine nos cursu^ quo sumus, ire pares !

quid tibi vis_, insane ? meos sentire furores ?
infeHx^ properas ultima nosse mala^

12

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

the maids the age of beautj bore ; yet Cynthia would
make their glory pale ; still less^ were she compared
with meaner beauties^ would the harshest judge
deelare her the less fair. Yet even her shapely form
is but the least part of that which frenzies me. Yet
greater charms are there_, for which^ Bassus, to die
with passion is my joy. A natural colour^ grace
sprung from skill in many an art^, and joys whereof
her couch keeps the secret.

^^ The more thou strivest to dissolve our love^
the more doth either of us cheat thy craft with un-
shaken loyalty. Nor shalt thou go scatheless for
this ; the frenzied maid shall know what thou hast
done^ and by no gentle outcry shall prove thy foe^
nor will Cynthia henceforth entrust me to thy
care nor seek thy company ; such crime as thine
she will remember ever^ and in her wrath will defame
thee in every beauty's ear ; henceforth^ alas ! no
threshold shall give thee welcome. No altar shall be
too humble a witness for her tears^ no sacred effigy^
whate'er its sanctity^ shall fail to know her grief.
No loss touches Cynthia so deeply as when a lover's
heart is stolen from her and Cupid spreads his wings ;
deepest of all her grief if 'tis my love she loses. Ah !
may she ever_, I pray^ abide thus, and may I never find
aught in her to cause me to lament.

V

Envious^ hush now at length thy unwelcome
prayers^ and let us go hand in hand along the path
that now we tread. What wouldst thou^ madman ?
Wouldst thou suifer frenzies such as mine ? Poor
wretch^ thou hastest to acquaint thyself with the

13

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

et miser ignotos vestigia ferre per ignes^

et bibere e tota toxica Thessalia.
non est illa vagis similis collata puellis : |

molliter irasci non solet illa tibi. 1

quod si forte tuis non est contraria votis,

at tibi curarum milia quanta dabit ! 10 i

non tibi iam somnos^ non illa relinquet ocellos :

illa feros animis alligat una viros.
a, mea contemptus quotiens ad limina curres^

cum tibi singultu fortia verba cadent^
et tremulus maestis orietur fletibus horror,

et timor informem ducet in ore notam^
et quaecumque voles fugient tibi verba querenti_,

nec poteris, qui sis aut ubi^ nosse miser.
tum grave servitium nostrae cogere puellae

discere et exclusum quid sit abire domum ; 20

nec iam pallorem totiens mirabere nostrum^

aut cur sim toto corpore nullus ego.
nec tibi nobilitas poterit succurrere amanti :

nescit Amor priscis cedere imaginibus.
quod si parva tuae dederis vestigia culpae,

quam cito de tanto nomine rumor eris !
non ego tum potero solacia ferre roganti^

cum mihi nulla mei sit medicina mali ;
sed pariter miseri socio cogemur amore

alter in alterius mutua flere sinu. 30

quare, quid possit mea Cynthia, desine, Galle_,

quaerere : non impune illa rogata venit.

14

THE ELECjIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

worst of ills, to tread on hidden fire to thy sorro^y
and drink all Thessaly's store of poison. Shouldst
thou compare her^ she is not like those flighty loves
of thine ; her anger is no light thing. Nay, even if
perchance she frown not wholly on thy prayers^ yet
what a world of care she will bring thee ! No more
will she sufferthee to sleep nor thine eyesto range at
will ; she^ as none other, can bind the fierce of heart.
Ah^ how often wilt thou run to my doors a rejected
suitor^ when thy brave speech shall fail for sobs^ and
a chill shuddering and bitter weeping shall come
upon thee, when fear shall trace disfiguring Hnes
upon thy face^ and the words thou wouldst speak die
on thy lips in the midst of thy complaining and thou
canst no more tell^ poor wretch^ who or where thou
art !

^^ Then shalt thou be constrained to know how
bitter a thing it is to bear my mistress' yoke, and
what it means to return homeward when her doors
are barred. Not any more shalt thou marvel so oft at
the pallor of my face nor wherefore my whole frame
is wasted into naught. Nor will thy high birth avail
thee in thy love : Love scorns to yield to ancient
ancestry. But if thou givest but the least sign of
faithlessness^ how soon will thy name^ so power-
ful now^ be a mere byword ! I shall not then
be able to console thee when thou comest asking
aid_, for mine own woe is cureless^ but we shall be
constrained, comrades in love and woe^ to weep tears
of sympathy^ either on other's breast. Wherefore
cease^ Gallus^ to seek to learn my Cynthia's power.
Heavy the toll they pay in answer to whose prayer
she comes.

15

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

VI

NoN ego nunc Hadriae vereor mare noscere tecum^

Tulle^ neque Aegaeo ducere vela salo,
cum quo Rhipaeos possim conscendere montes

ulteriusque domos vadere Memnonias ;
sed me complexae remorantur verba puellae,

mutatoque graves saepe colore preces.
illa mihi totis argutat noctibus ignes,

et queritur nullos esse relicta deos ;
illa meam mihi iam se denegat^ illa minatur^

quae soiet irato tristis amica viro, 10

his ego non horam possum durare querelis :

a pereat^, si quis lentus amare potest !
an mihi sit tanti doctas cognoscere Athenas

atque Asiae veteres cernere divitias^
ut mihi deducta faciat convicia puppi

Cynthia et insanis ora notet manibus^
osculaque opposito dicat sibi debita vento^

et nihil infido durius esse viro ?
tu patrui meritas conare anteire secures^

et vetera oblitis iura refer sociis. 20

nam tua non aetas umquam cessavit amori^

semper et armatae cura fuit patriae ;
et tibi non umquam nostros puer iste labores

afferat et lacrimis omnia nota meis !
me sine^ quem semper voluit fortuna iacere,

hanc animam extremae reddere nequitiae.
16

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

VI

TuLLUs, I fear not now to brave the Adrian waves
with thee nor to spread my sails on the Aegean main ;
with thee I could scale the Rhipean heights or pass
beyond the home of Memnon. But the words of my
mistress as she hangs about my neck^ her urgent
prayers, her clianging colour, all keep me back. All
through the night she shrilly protests her love, and
larnents that she is left forlorn and that the gods are
vanished out of heaven. Mine though she be, she
will not yield herself^ and uses all those threats
that an aggrieved mistress will use to an angry
lover, Not even an hour can I endure to live
amid such complaints as these ; perish the man
that dares love unpassionately ! Is it worth my
while to visit learned Athens or to behold the ancient
wealth of Asia, that Cynthia may upbraid me when
my bark is launched and mar her face ^ with passionate
hands, and cry that she owes kisses to the wind that
stays my journeying and that there is naught more
cruel than a faithless lover ?

^^ Do thou strive to outdo thine uncle*s well-
earned rule ^ and restore to the allies their long-
forgotten rights. For thy youth has never yielded
to love^ and thy care has ever been for thy country's
arms. Never may the accursed boy lay sorrows such
as mine on thee, nor all the torments that my tears
know well ! Let me^ whom Fortune hath ever willed
to lie prostrate^ yield up my life obedient to the
worst her wantonness can demand. Many have

1 Or perhaps "scar my face."

2 Lit., axes of ofifice. His uncle, Yolcatius Tullus, must
have been proconsul of Asia.

B 17

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

multi longinquo periere in amore libenter^

in quorum numero me quoque terra tegat.
non ego sum laudi, non natus idoneus armis :

hanc me militiam fata subire volunt. 30

at tu seu mollis qua tendit lonia^ seu qua

Lydia Pactoli tingit arata liquor ;
seu pedibus terras seu pontum carpere remis

ibis, et accepti pars eris imperii :
tum tibi si qua mei veniet non immemor hora^

vivere me duro sidere certus eris.

VII

DvM tibi Cadmeae dicuntur^ Pontice^ Thebae

armaque fraternae tristia militiae^
atque^ ita sim felix, primo contendis Homero^

(sint modo fata tuis mollia carminibus :)
nos, ut consuemus^ nostros agitamus amores,

atque aliquid duram quaerimus in dominam ;
nec tantum ingenio quantum servire dolorL

cogor et aetatis tempora dura queri.
hic mihi conteritur vitae modus, haec mea fama est^

hinc cupio nomen carminis ire mei. 10

me laudent doctae solum placuisse puellae,

Pontice^ et iniustas saepe tuHsse minas ;
me legat assidue post haec neglectus amator,

et prosint ilH cognita nostra mala.
te quoque si certo puer hic concusserit arcu^

(quod noHm nostros evoluisse ^ deos)
1 evoluisse Beroaldus on alleged MS, authority : eviolasse NAF,

I

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

gladly perished in gyves of love^ that they have
borne so long^ and^ when earth laps me round^ let
me be one of these. Nature has not fitted me for
glory or for arms ; Love's is the only warfare for
whieh the Fates design me.

^^ But thou^ whether thy steps be cast where soft
lonia spreads its shores, or where Pactolus' stream
steeps Lydia's ploughlands^ whether thou rangest
the land on foot or goest forth to lash the sea with
oars, and makest one of those that rule and are loved
by them theyrule — then shalt thou be sure, if e'er a
moment comes with memories of me^ that I still Hve
beneath a baleful star.

VII

Whilst thou singest, Ponticus^ of Cadmean Thebes^
and the bitter warfare of fraternal strife^ and — so may
heaven smile on me^ as I speak truth — dost rival
Homer for crown of song (if only the Fates be kind
to thy verse), I_, as is my wont, still ply my loves_,
and seek for some device to o'ercome my mistress'
cruelty. I am constrained rather to serve my sorrow
than wit and to bemoan the hardship that my youth
endures.

^ Thus is my whole life passed : this is my
glory : this is the title to fame I claim for my song.
Let my only praise be this^ that I pleased the heart
of a learned maid^ and oft endured her unjust
threatenings. Henceforth let neglected lovers read
diUgently my words^ and let it profit them to learn
what woes were mine. Thou too^ should the boy
strike thee with unerring shaft — but may the gods I
serve ordain i thee other doom — shalt weep in misery

1 evoluisse ; lit., unrolL

19

SEXTl PROPERTi ELEGIARVM LIBER 1

longe castra tibi^ longe miser agmina septem

flebis in aeterno surda iacere situ ;
et frustra cupies mollem componere versum^

nec tibi subiciet carmina serus Amor. 20

tum me non humilem mirabere saepe poetam,

tunc ego Romanis praeferar ingeniis ;
nec poterunt iuvenes nostro reticere sepulcro

^^ Ardoris nostri magne poeta^ iaces."
tu cave nostra tuo contemnas carmina fastu :

saepe venit magno faenore tardus Amor.

VIII

TvNE igitur demens, nec te mea cura moratur ?

an tibi sum gelida vilior Illyria ?
et tibi iam tanti^ quicumque est^ iste videtur,

ut sine me vento quolibet ire velis ?
tune audire potes vesani murmura ponti

fortis^ et in dura nave iacere potes ?
tu pedibus teneris positas fulcire pruinas^i

tu potes insolitas^ Cynthia, ferre nives ?
o utinam hibernae duplicentur tempora brumae^

et sit iners tardis navita Vergiliis, 10

nec tibi Tyrrhena solvatur funis harena^

neve inimica meas elevet aura preces !
atque ego non videam tales subsidere ventos^

cum tibi provectas auferet unda rates,

1 pruinas 5" : ruinas NAF,
20

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

that thy seven leaguered hosts are cast aside and lie
dumb in everlasting neglect^ and in vain shalt thou
desire to v^rite soft songs of passion ; Love come so
late shall ne'er inspire thy song.

^^ Then shalt thou marvel at me as no mean
singer ; then shalt thou rank me above the bards
of Rome ; and youths perforce will cry above my
tomb : " Mighty singer of our passion, dost thou ]ie
so low^ ? " Beware then iest in thy pride thou spurn
my song. Love that comes late oft claims a heavy
toll.

VIII

Art thou then mad ? Does no care for me stay thy
going ? Am I of less account to thee than chill Illyria ?^
And esteemest thou that wretch, whoe'er he be, so
highly that thou art ready to leave me and fly to his
arms on any wind that blows ? Canst thou bear
unmoved the roar of the raging deep ? canst thou
make thy couch on the hard ship's-bench ? or press
with tender feet the fallen hoar-frost ? or endure,
my Cynthia^ the unfamiliar snows ? Ah, would that
the wintry season's storms were doubled, and the
Pleiads' rising delayed^ that the sailor might tarry
idle and the cables ne'er be loosed from the Tyrrhene
strand nor the cruel breeze make light ofmy prayers
to thee ; and yet may I never see such winds subside,
when thy bark puts out to sea and the wave bears it

1 Cp,ll. XVI.

21

J>

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

ut ^ me defixum vacua patiatur in ora

crudelem infesta saepe vocare manu !
sed quocumque modo de me^ periura^ mereris^

sit Galatea tuae non aliena viae :
utere ^ felici praevecta Ceraunia remo ;

accipiat placidis Oricos aequoribus. 20

nam me non ullae poterunt corrumpere^ de te

quin ego^ vita^ tuo limine acerba ^ querar ;
nec me deficiet nautas rogitare citatos

^^ Dicite, quo portu clausa puella mea est ?
et dicam ^^ Licet Artaciis ^ considat in oris^

et licet Hylaeis^ illa futura mea est."

VIIIa 5

Hic erat ! hic iurata manet ! rumpantur iniqui !

vicimus : assiduas non tulit illa preces.
falsa licet cupidus deponat gaudia livor :

destitit ire novas Cynthia nostra vias. 30

illi carus ego et per me carissima Roma

dicitur^ et sine me dulcia regna negat.
illa vel angusto mecum requiescere lecto

et quocumque modo maluit esse mea^
quam sibi dotatae regnum vetus Hippodamiae,

et quas Elis opes ante pararat equis.

1 ut Rotkstein : et NAF.

2 utere codd. Par. 7989, Voss, 117 : ut te NAF,

3 acerba >Sca//^6r ; verbaiVytF.

4 Artaciis Palmer : atraciis et similia 0.

s The MSS. marTc no hrealc ; the separation is due to Lipsius.

22

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

afar^ leaving me rooted on the shore, shaking clenched
hands and crying out upon thy cruelty.

^^ Yet, faithless one^ whate'er thou deserve of me^
may Galatea smile upon thy path. Pass the Cerau-
nian clifFs with prosperous oarage and may Oricos
at last receive thee in its calm haven. For never
shall the love of any maid lure me from uttering at
thy threshold my bitter complaint against thee, light
of my life ; nor will I cease to question the mariners
as they hurry by : '^ Tell me in what port has my
love found shelter.^ " and I will cry : ^'Though she
abide on Artacia*s shores_, or where the Hylaei
dwell^ yet shall she be mine ! "

VIIIa

She never went ! She has sworn and she remains !
Let those that wish me ill burst for ^nvy ! We have
conquered ! She turned a deaf ear to his persistent
prayer ! Now let their greedy jealousy lay aside its
joy ! My Cynthia has ceased to tread new paths
and strange. She loves me^ and for my sake loves
she Rome most of cities, and cries : ^^ Apart from thee
a kingdom were not sweet.'' She has preferred to ]ie
in my embrace^ though the couch be poor and narrow,
and to be mine^ whate'er the cost^ rather than enjoy
the ancient realm that was Hippodamia's dower and
all the wealth that Elis won by its steeds. Great

23

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

quamvis magna daret^ quamvis maiora daturus,

noii tamen illa meos fugit avara sinus.
hanc ego non auro, non Indis flectere conchis,

sed potui blandi carminis obsequio. 40

sunt igitur Musae^ neque amanti tardus Apollo^

quis ego fretus amo : Cynthia rara mea est !
nunc mihi summa Hcet contingere sidera plantis :

sive dies seu nox venerit^ illa mea est !
nec mihi rivaHs firmos ^ subducit amores :

ista meam norit gloria canitiem.

IX

DiCEBAM tibi venturos^ irrisor_, amores^

nec tibi perpetuo libera verba fore :
ecce iaces supplexque venis ad iura puellae^

et tibi nunc quaevis imperat empta modo.
non me Chaoniae vincant in amore columbae

dicere^ quos iuvenes quaeque puella domet.
me dolor et lacrimae merito fecere peritum :

atque utinam posito dicar amore rudis !
quid tibi nunc misero prodest grave dicere carmen

aut Amphioniae moenia flere lyrae ? 10

plus in amore valet Mimnermi versus Homero :

carmina mansuetus levia quaerit Amor.
i quaeso et tristes istos compone libellos^

et cane quod quaevis nosse puella veUt !
quid si non esset facilis tibi copia ? nunc tu

insanus medio flumine quaeris aquam.

1 firmos Bossberg : certos N : summos AF,
24

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

though his gifts were and greater his promises^ avarice
could not tempt her from my bosom. Not by gold
nor by the pearls of Ind did I prevail to win her,
but by the homage of beguiling song. The Muses
then are maids of might and Apollo is not slow to
aid a lover ; trusting in their help I pursue my love ;
and peerless Cynthia is my own. Now is it mine to
set my feet upon the highest stars of heaven ; come
night or day^ she is mine own ; no rival now shall
steal my love ; 'tis fixed and sure. The glory of
to-day shall crown my head when white with eld.

IX

MocKER, I ever told thee love would find thee out
and that thou shouldest not alway be free to speak
thy thoughts. Lo ! now thou liest low^ and goest
SLippliant at a woman's will^ and now some unknown
girl^ bought by thy gold but yesterday, lords it over
thee. Not Chaonia's doves ^ could better divine
than I what youths each maiden shall enslave.
Sorrow and tears of mine own have given me a just
claim to skill. Ah ! would that I could lay aside my
love and once more be called a novice ! What now
avails it^ poor wretch^ to chant thy serious song and to
bewail the walls raised by Amphion's lyre ? Far more
than Homer avails Mimnermus in the realm of love.
Smooth are the songs that peaceful love demands.

^^ Go to^ prithee^ and lay aside thy gloomy books
and sing what every maid would wish to hear. What if
thou hadst not easy access ? Madman^ thou seekest
for water when plunged in love's mid-stream. Not

1 The dove was the sacred bird of Dodona, but the priestesses
also were known as doves, and it may be of them that Propertius
speaks.

25

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

necdum etiam palles_, vero nec tangeris igni :

haec est venturi prima favilla mali.
tum magis Armenias cupies accedere tigres

et magis infernae vincula nosse rotae^ 20

quam pueri totiens arcum sentire medullis

et nihil iratae posse negare tuae. •

nullus Amor cuiquam faciles ita praebuit alas,

ut non alterna presserit ille manu.
nec te decipiat^ quod sit satis illa parata :

acrius illa subit^ Pontice, si qua tua est,
quippe ubi non liceat vacuos seducere ocellos^

nec vigilare alio nomine cedat Amor :
qui non ante patet, donec manus attigit ossa.

quisquis es^ assiduas a fuge ^ blanditias ! 30

illis et silices et possint cedere quercus^

nedum tu possis, spiritus iste levis.
quare^ si pudor est, quam primum errata fatere :

dicere quo pereas saepe in amore levat.

X

O ivcvNDA quies^ primo cum testis amori
affueram vestris conscius in lacrimis !

o noctem meminisse mihi iucunda voluptas^
o quotiens votis illa vocanda meis,

cum te complexa morientem^ Galle^ puella
vidimus et longa ducere verba mora !

1 a fuge Bolt : auf uge NAF.
26

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

even yet art thou pale, not yet art thou touched by
love's true fire : 'tis but the first faint spark of the
coming woe. Then hadst thou rather approach
Armenian tigers^ or know the chains that bind unto
the wheels of Hell, than feel so oft the arrows of
the boy about thy heartstrings, and be powerless to
refuse aught that thy angry mistress may demand.
To none doth any Love grant freest flight^ but ever
curbs his wings with tantalising hand.^ Nor be thou
deceived if she is wholly at thy command ; possess
her^ Ponticus^ and straightway she steals with keener
passion on thy soul. For then thou mayest not turn
thine eyes where fancy guides; Love permits thee
not to watch in any cause but hers, Love that lies
hid until his hand hath pierced thee to the bone.

^^ Whoe'er thou art^ fiee from the charms that urge
their suit. To them hard flints and heart of oak
might yiekl ; much more must thou, frail breath of
air that thou art. Wherefore if thou feelest aught
of shame^, at once confess thine error. Often in love
'twill bring reHef to tell what passion wastes thy
soul.

X

O swEET repose^ when I was witness of your first
hour of love^ and stood by you as you wept together.
Ah ! what sweet joy to recall that night to memory !
Ah ! night so oft to be invoked by my prayers^
whereon I saw thee^ Gallus^ languish in thy mis-
tress* arms^ and speak love's words amid long-drawn

^ Lit., now with his right hand, now with his left.

27

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

quamvis labentes premeret mihi somnus ocellos

et mediis caelo Luna ruberet equis^
non tamena vestro potui secedere lusu :

tantus in alternis vocibus ardor erat. 10

sed quoniam non es veritus concedere nobis,

accipe commissae munera laetitiae :
non solum vestros didici reticere dolores^

est quiddam in nobis maius^ amice^ fide.
possum ego diversos iterum coniungere amantes^

et dominae tardas possum aperire fores ;
et possum alterius curas sanare recentes,

nec levis in verbis est medicina meis.
Cynthia me docuit semper quaecumque petenda

quaeque cavenda forent : non nihil egit Amor. 20
tu cave ne tristi cupias pugnare puellae^

neve superba loqui, neve tacere diu ;
neu^ si quid petiit^ ingrata fronte negaris^

neu tibi pro vano verba benigna cadant.
irritata venit, quando contemnitur illa^

nec meminit iustas ponere laesa minas :
at quo sis humilis magis et subiectus araori^

hoc magis effecto saepe fruare bono.
is poterit felix una remanere puella^

qui numquam vacuo pectore liber erit. 30

28

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

silences ! Though sleep weighed down my wearied
eyes and the glowing moon drove her team in mid-
heaven^ yet eould I not leave the sight of your tender
dalliance^ such passion rang in the words ye inter-
changed.

11 But since thou hast not feared to yield the secret
of thy love to me^ take thy reward for the joys thou
didst confide. Not only have I learnt to say naught of
your sorrows ; there is in me something yet better than
loyal secrecy. I can join parted lovers^ and unbar a
mistress' reluctant doors ; I too can heal another's
fresh-smarting griefs ; not slight is the remedy my
words can bring. Cynthia has ever taught me what
things each lover should seek^ and what should shun.
Love has done something for me.

21 See that thou seek not to resist thy mistress
when she frowns^ nor to speak proudly nor be silent
long ; nor^ should she ask thee aught^ do thou refuse
it with stern countenance, nor let words of kindness
fall on thy ears in vain. Spurn her and she comes in
wrath to thee ; offend her, and she ne'er remembers
to lay aside her just threats. But the more thou
humblest thyself and yieldest to her love^ the more
oft thou shalt enjoy the crown of thy desires. He
will be able to abide in the enjoyment of one mistress'
love who never claims his freedom nor lets her image
vanish from his heart.

29

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

XI

EcQviD te mediis eessantem^ Cynthia, Bais^

qua iacet Herculeis semita litoribus_,
et modo Thesproti mirantem subdita regno

et modo ^ Misenis aequora nobihbus^
nostri cura subit memores a ! ducere ^ noctes ?

ecquis in extremo restat amore locus ?
an te nescio quis simulatis ignibus hostis

sustuHt e nostris, Cynthia^ carminibus ?
atque utinam mage te remis confisa minutis

parvula Lucrina cumba moretur aqua, 10

aut teneat clausam tenui Teuthrantis in unda

alternae faciHs cedere lympha manu_,
quam vacet alterius blandos audire susurros

molHter in tacito Htore compositam ! —
ut solet amota labi custode puella

perfida^ communes nec meminisse deos :
non quia perspecta non es mihi cognita fama^

sed quod in hac omnis parte timetur amor.
ignosces igitur^ si quid tibi triste HbeHi

attulerint nostri : culpa timoris erit. 20

nam ^ mihi non maior carae custodia matris^

aut sine te vitae cura sit uHa meae.
tu mihi sola domus^ tu^ Cynthia^ sola parentes^

omnia tu nostrae tempora laetitiae.
seu tristis veniam seu contra laetus amicis_,

quicquid ero^ dicam ^^ Cyntliia causa fuit."

1 et modo T: proxima NAF, 2 a ! ducere Scaliger :

adducere NAF. 3 nam Keil : an NAF.

30

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

XI

Cynthia_, while thou tak'st thine ease in Baiae's midst^
where the causeway built by Hercules lies stretched
along the shore^ and now marvellest at the waves
that wash Thesprotus' realm^ now at those that
spread hard by renowned Misenum, dost thou ever
think that I^ alas ! pass weary niorhts haunted by
memories of thee ? Hast thou room for me even in the
outer borders of thy love ? Has some enemy with
empty show of passion stolen thee away from thy
place in my songs ? Would rather that some little
boat, trusting in tiny oars, kept thee safe on the
Lucrine lake^ or that the waters yielding with
ease to the swimmer's either hand held thee re-
tired by the shallow waves of Teuthras^ than that
thou shouldst listen at ease to the fond murmurs
of another as thou liest soft reclined on the
silent strand ; for when there is none to watch her
a maid will break her troth and go astray^ remem-
bering not the gods of mutual love. Not that I
doubt thee, for I know that thy virtue is well tried,
but at Baiae all love's advances give cause for fear
Pardon me, therefore^ if my books have brought thee
aught of bitterness ; lay all the blame upon my fear.
For I watch not over my beloved mother more ten-
derly than over thee^ nor without thee would life be
worth athought.

^^ Thou only^ Cynthia^ art my home^ thou only
my parents, thou art each moment of my joy.
Be I gay or grave to the friends I meet^ whate'er
my mood, I will say : ^^ Cynthia was the cause.*' Only

31

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

tu modo quam primum corruptas desere Baias :

multis ista dabunt litora discidium,
litora quae fuerant castis inimica puellis :

a pereant Baiae^ crimen amoris^ aquae ! 30

XII

QviD mihi desidiae non cessas fingere crimen^

quod faciat nobis^ conscia Roma^ moram ?
tam multa illa meo divisa est milia lecto^

quantum Hypanis Veneto dissidet Eridano ;
nec mihi consuetos amplexu nutrit amores

Cynthia^ nec nostra dulcis in aure sonat.
oHm gratus eram : non illo tempore cuiquam

contigit ut simili posset amare fide.
invidiae fuimus : num ^ me deus obruit ? an quae

lecta Prometheis dividit herba iugis ? 10

non sum ego qui fueram : mutat via longa puellas.

quantus in exiguo tempore fugit amor !
nunc primum longas solus cognoscere noctes

cogor et ipse meis auribus esse gravis.
felix^ qui potuit praesenti flere puellae ;

non nihil aspersis gaudet Amor lacrimis :
aut si despectus potuit mutare calores^

sunt quoque translato gaudia servitio.
mi neque amare aliam neque ab hac desciscere ^ fas est :

Cynthia prima fuit^ Cynthia finis erit. 20

1 num S" : non NAF.

2 desciscere jETans^ws .' desistere jP ; dissistere JliV.

32

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

do thou with all speed leave the lewd life of Baiae ;
to many a loving pair shall those shores bring sever-
ance^ shores that have aye proved ill for modest
maids. Perish the Baian waters^ that bring reproach
on love !

XII

Why, Rome^ thou witness of my love^ ceasest thou
never to tax me falsely with sloth, saying 'tis sloth
delays my suit ? She is parted from my bed by as
many leagues as Hypanis is distant from Venetian
Eridanus. No more does Cynthia feed my wonted
love with her embraces, no longer does her name make
music to my ear. Once I pleased her well : then there
was none so happy as to love with such true return of
devotion. But envy marked us down. Was it a god
that overwhelmed me^ or some magic herb gathered
on Promethean hills for the sunderintj of lovers ?

11 I am not what I was. A distant journey can
change a woman's heart ! How mighty was that love_,
and in how brief a space 'tis fled ! Now for the first
time am I forced to face the long, long hours of night
alone and to vex mine own ears with my complaining.
Happy the man who can weep before his mistress'
eyes ; Love has great delight in flooding tears. Or
if, once spurned^ he hath had power to change his pas-
sion, even in change of bondage is there joy. But I
may never love another, nor part from her. Cynthia
was the beginning, Cynthia shall be the end.

33

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

XIII

Tv^ quod saepe soles^ nostro laetabere easu,

Galle^ quod abrepto solus amore vacem.
at non ipse tuas imitabor^ perfide^ voces :

fallere te numquam^ Galle^ puella velit.
dum tibi deceptis augetur fama puellis,

certus et in nullo quaeris amore moram,
perditus in quadam tardis pallescere curis

incipis^ et primo lapsus abire ^ gradu.
haec erit illarum contempti poena doloris :

multarum miseras exiget una vices. ] 0

haec tibi vulgares istos compescet amores^
nec nova quaerendo semper amicus eris.
haec ego non rumore malo^ non augure doctus ;

vidi ego : me quaeso teste negare potes ?
vidi ego te toto vinctum languescere collo

et flere iniectis_, GallC;, diu manibus^
et cupere optatis animam deponere verbis,

et quae deinde meus celat^ amice^ pudor.
non ego complexus potui diducere vestros :

tantus erat demens inter utrosque furor. 20

non sic Haemonio Salmonida mixtus Enipeo

Taenarius facili pressit amore deus,
nec sic caelestem flagrans amor Herculis Heben

sensit in Oetaeis gaudia prima iugis.
una dies omnes potuit praecurrere amantes :
nam tibi non tepidas subdidit illa faces^

1 abire T: adire NAF,
34

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

XIII

Thou^ Gallus^ as thou oft art wont^ wilt rejoice at my
misfortunes, becausemy love has been snatched from
me and I am left lonely and forlorn. But^ faithless
friend^ I will never imitate thy taunts. May never
fair one have the heartto play thee false. Even now
while thy fame for the loves thou hast beguiled
increases ever, and self-possessed thou cleavest ne'er
for long to one passion^ even now late in time
thou beginnest to pale with woe^ love-frenzied for
one girl, and to retire baffled at the first step of
thy advance. This shall be thy punishment for thy
scorn of their sorrows ; one girl shall avenge the
wrongs of many, she shall stay thy ranging loves,
nor shall thy search for novelty always win thee a
welcome.

^^ No spiteful rumour^ no soothsayer tells me this;
I saw thy love — darest thou deny the truth to me
whose eyes were witness ? I saw thee languish with
her arms fast about thy neck, I saw thee weep lapped in
a long embrace, and yearn to breathe forth thy soul in
the words of desire ; and last^ my friend, I saw, what
shame bids me hide. I could not part your embraces^
such a wild frenzy bound you each to each. Not with
such passion did the Taenarian god, made one with
Haemonian Enipeus/ embrace Salmoneus' child^ the
willing victim of his love. Hercules burned not with
such love for divine Hebe^ when on Oeta's heights he
tasted the first joys of godhead. One day surpassed
the joys of all past lovers ; for no faint torch she
kindled in thy veins. She suffered not thine old

1 /.e., assuming the form of Haemonian Enipeus.

S5

SEXTl PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

nec tibi praeteritos passa est succedere fastus^

nec sinet abduci : te tuus ardor aget.
nec mirum_, cum sit love digna et proxima Ledae

et Ledae partu gratior, una tribus ; 30

illa sit Inachiis et blandior heroinis^

illa suis verbis cogat amare lovem.
tu vero quoniam semel es periturus amore,

utere : non alio limine dignus eras.
quae tibi sit felix^ quoniam novus incidit error ;

et quodcumque ^ voles^ una sit ista tibi.

XIV

Tv licet abiectus Tiberina moUiter unda

Lesbia Mentoreo vina bibas opere,
et modo tam celeres mireris currere Untres

et modo tam tardas funibus ire rates ;
et nemus omne satas intendat vertice silvas^

urgetur quantis Caucasus arboribus ;
non tamen ista meo valeant contendere amori :

nescit Amor magnis cedere divitiis.
nam sive optatam mecum trahit illa quietem^

seu facili totum ducit amore diem^ 10

tum mihi Pactoli veniunt sub tecta liquores^

et legitur Rubris gemma sub aequoribus ;
tum mihi cessuros spondent mea gaudia reges :

quae maneant^ dum me fata perire volent !
nam quis divitiis adverso gaudet Amore ?

nulla mihi tristi praemia sint Venere !

1 quodcumque Volscus : quocunque NAF»

36

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

pride to come o'er thee once again, nor will she let
thee be taken from her. Thy passion shall drive thee
on and always on.

2^ Nor can I marvel since she is worthv Jove, sur-
passed by Leda only^ and fairer herself alone than all
three children of Leda. More winsome would she
prove than all Inachia's queens ; by her sweet words
would she force even Jove to love her. Since then in
truth thou art doomed once and for all todieof love,
use thy chance : thou wert worthy to besiege no other
doors than hers. Since madness to which thou art a
stranger has seized thee^ may she be kind ; and may
she and she alone be all thy heart's desire.

XIV

Though reclining idly by Tiber's wave thou quaffest
Lesbian wine from cups chased by the hand of Mentor,
and marvellest now how swiftly the boats run by
and now how slowly the towed barges go : though all
the woodland round thee spreads its growth of trees
along the hill-crest^ huge as the forest that weighs
upon slopes of Caucasus^ yet all these things cQnld
not vie with my love ; Love will not yield to all the
might of wealth.

^ For if Cynthia lies with me by night in long-
desired rest^ or spends the day in kindly love^ then the
waters of Pactolus bring their wealth beneath my roofj
and the Red Sea's gems are gathered for my delight ;
then does my joy assure me that kings must yield to
me. And may these joys abide with me till Fate decrees
my death. For who may have joy of wealth if Love
be not kind } Ne'er be the prize of riches mine if
Venus frown ! She can bow down the puissant might

37

8EXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

illa potest magnas heroum infringere vires,

illa etiam duris mentibus esse dolor :
illa neque Arabium metuit transcendere limen

nec timet ostrino^ Tulle_, subire toro 20

et miserum toto iuvenem versare cubili :

quid relevant variis serica textilibus ?
quae mihi dum placata aderit^ non ulla verebor

regna vel Alcinoi munera despicere.

XV

Saepe ego multa tuae levitatis dura timebam^

hac tamen excepta^ Cynthia, perfidia.
aspice me quanto rapiat fortuna periclo !

tu tamen in nostro lenta timore venis ;
et potes hesternos manibus componere crines

et longa faciem quaerere desidia^
nec minus Eois pectus variare lapillis^
*ht formosa novo quae parat ire viro.
at non sic Ithaci digressu mota Calypso

desertis olim fleverat aequoribus : 10

multos illa dies incomptis maesta capillis

sederat, iniusto multalocuta salo,
et quamvis numquam post haec visura^ dolebat

illa tamen, longae conscia laetitiae.
nec sic Aesoniden rapientibus anxia ventis 17

Hypsipyle vacuo constitit in thalamo : 18

Hypsipyle nuUos post illos sensit amores^ 19

ut semel Haemonio tabuit hospitio. 20

38

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

of heroes^ she can bring sorrow to the hardest heart.
She fears not to o'erpass the threshold of Arabian
onyx^ she shrinks not, Tullus_, to chmb into the purple
couch, and toss the hapless youth in unrest o'er all
his bed. What avail the silken hangings with their
weft of varied hue ? Ah ! while she is kind and aids
me in my love I will not fear to scoin the realms
of any monarch^ nor gifts such as Alcinous might
give.

XV

Oft have 1 dreaded much hardship from thy fickle-
ness^ yet never^ Cynthia, treachery such as this.
See into what perils fortune plunges me ! Yet still
thou art slow to succour my distress^ and hast the
heart to raise thine hands to array the yesternight^s
disorder of thy tresses^ to adorn thy face with Hnger-
ing care^ and all unmoved to bestar thy breast with
Eastern gems^ Hke some fair maid that goes to meet
her bridegroom.

^ Not so was Calypso moved when the Ithacan left
her and she wept of yore to the lonely waste of
waves : many a long day she sat moaning his loss^
her locks unkempt,, and many a plaint she uttered to
the cruel sea : and though she never more should see
his face^ she grieved remembering their long hours
of happiness. Not so as the breeze bore afar the
son of Aeson did Hypsipyle stand sorrow-laden in
the empty nuptial chamber ; Hypsipyle tasted of
love no more, since once she pined for her lost
Haemonian guest. Alphesiboea took vengeance on

S9

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

Alphesiboea suos ulta est pro coniuge fratres 15

sanguinis et cari vincula rupit amor.^ 1 6

coniugis Euadne miseros elata per ignes 21

occidit^ Argivae fama pudicitiae.
quarum nulla tuos potuit convertere mores^

tu quoque uti fieres nobilis historia.
desine iam revocare tuis periuria verbis^

Cynthia^ et oblitos parce movere deos ;
audax a nimium nostro dolitura periclo^

si quid forte tibi durius inciderit !
multa prius ; ^ vasto labentur flumina ponto^

annus et inversas duxerit ante vices_, 30

quam tua sub nostro mutetur pectore cura :

sis quodcumque voles^ non aliena tamen.
tam tibi ^ ne viles isti videantur ocelh^

per quos saepe mihi credita perfidia est !
hos tu iurabas^ si quid mentita fuisses_,

ut tibi suppositis exciderent manibus :
et contra magnum potes hos attollere solem^

nec tremis admissae conscia nequitiae ?
quis te cogebat multos pallere colores

et fletum invitis ducere luminibus ? 40

quis ego nunc pereo^ similes moniturus amantes

^^ O nullis tutum credere blanditiis ! "

1 15, 10, Markland's iransposition.

2 I give Rothstein's punctuation. Without it multa must he
altered to alta or the like.

3 tam tibi Palmer : quam tibi NAF^

40

I

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

her own brothers for her husband^s sake^ and love
brake the bonds of kindred blood. Evadne^ glory of
Argive chastity^ perished in the fatal flame and shared
her husbands pyre.

23 Yet none of these has prevailed on thee to change
thy fashion of hfej that thou too might*st become a
giorious memory. Cease at length by thy words to
recall thy past faithlessness^ nor provoke the gods
thou hast so long forgotten. Rash girl^ ah ! deep,
too deep will be thy sorrow for my peril^ if aught
of woe chance to fall on thee. Ere that shall many
marvels be : rivers shall flow upward from the wild
sea^ and the year reverse its seasons^ ere my love
for thee shall alter in my breast : be what thou wilt^
yet not another's own. Let not those eyes of thine
seem of so Httle worth to thee, those eyes that oft
made me beUeve thy falsehoods true ! By them
thou swarest^ praying that if in aught thou hadst
played me false thine own hands might pluck them
forth. And canst thou raise them to tlie mighty
sun and tremble not when thou rememberest thy
guilty wantonings } Who made thee pale with many
a shifting hue^ and forced thine eyes to weep un-
wilUng tears ? — those eyes for whose sake I die with
passion^ thus to warn lovers in Uke plight to mine^
^^ There's never witchery of woman that man may
safely trust."

41

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

XVI

QvAE fueram magnis olim patefacta triumphis^

ianua Tarpeiae nota pudicitiae ;
cuius inaurati celebrarunt limina currus^

captorum lacrimis umida supplicibus;
nunc ego, nocturnis potorum saucia rixis^

pulsata indignis saepe queror manibus^
et mihi non desunt turpes pendere corollae

semper et exclusis signa iacere faces.
nec possum infamis dominae defendere noctes

nobilis obscenis tradita carminibus ; 10

nec tamen illa suae revocatur parcere famae

turpior et saecli vivere luxuria.
has inter gravius cogor deflere querelas/

supplicis a longis tristior excubiis.
ille meos numquam patitur requiescere postes,

arguta referens carmina blanditia :
^^ lanua vel domina penitus crudelior ipsa,

quid mihi iam duris clausa taces foribus ?
cur numquam reserata meos admittis amores,

nescia furtivas reddere mota preces ? 20

nullane finis erit nostro concessa dolori^

turpis et in tepido limine somnus erit ?
me mediae noctes^ me sidera prona ^ iacentem^

frigidaque Eoo me dolet aura geki :

^ gravius . . . querelas Scaliger : gravibus . . . querelis
NAF. 2 proiia r : plena NAF.

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

XVI

I THAT of old was flung wide to welcome mighty
triumphs^ Tarpeia's portal glorified by her chastity,
whose threshold gilded chariots once made renowned
and the suppHant tears of captives once bedewed^ I
to-day am bruised by the nightly brawls of drunkards^
and smitten by unworthy hands make moan. Dis-
honouring wreaths fail not to hang by me^ and ever
nigh me He torches that teU their tale to lovers shut
out from bHss.

^ Yet cannot I save my mistress from her nights of
shame, but^ once so noble^ am now the prey of ribald
rhymes. Nor yet is she moved to repent and have
pity on her fair fame, and to cease from Hving more
vilely than the vileness of a wanton age. And even
while thus I make my moan, yet bitterer tears are
mine to weep^ as the long watches of the suppHant
lover deepen my woe. He suffers never my pillars
to have peace^ with shriH blandishment chanting this
refrain :

^^ ^^Door yet more deeply cruel than even my
mistress' heart^ why are thy grim portals ever closed
and mute for me ? Why never dost thou unbar and
give entrance to my love^ thou that knowest not to
relent and bear my secret prayers to my mistress ? Wilt
thou never grant an ending to my woes } And mus.t a
doleful sleep be mine on thy chill threshold ? For me
the midnight and the stars that turn to their setting
and the breeze laden with chill frost of dawn grieve
as they behold me prostrate. Thou alone pitiest

43

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

tu sola humanos numquam miserata dolores

respondes tacitis mutua cardinibus.
o utinam traiecta cava mea vocula rima

percussas dominae vertat in auriculas !
sit silice ^ et saxo patientior illa Sicano^

sit licet et ferro durior et chalybe, 30

non tamen illa suos poterit compescere ocellos_,

surget et invitis spiritus in lacrimis.
nunc iacet alterius felici nixa lacerto,

at mea nocturno verba cadunt Zephyro.
sed tu sola mei^ tu maxima causa doloris,

victa meis numquam^ ianua^ muneribus.
te non ulla meae laesit petulantia linguae^

quae solet irato dicere pota ioco^^
ut me tam longa raucum patiare querela

sollicitas trivio pervigilare moras. 40

at tibi saepe novo deduxi carmina versu^

osculaque impressis nixa dedi gradibus.
ante tuos quotiens verti me^ perfida^ postes^

debitaque occultis vota tuli manibus ! "
haec ille et si quae miseri novistis amantes,

et matutinis obstrepit alitibus.
sic ego nunc dominae vitiis et semper amantis

fletibus aeterna differor invidia.

1 silice cod, Voss. 81 : licet NAF.

2 pota ioco Heinsius : tota loco^^NAF.

44

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

never tlie agoiiy of the heart of men ; thy hinges are
silent^ and thou answerest naught. Would that some
whisper of my voice might pass through some hollow
rift in thee^ and fall upon my mistress' startled ear !
Then were she more passionless than flint or Etna's
crags^ more cruel than iron or steel, yet will she not
have power to control her eyes^ and mid unwilHng
tears a sigh shall rise.

33 (( N^ow she Hes propped on another's happy arm
and my words fall idly on the breezes of the night.
But thou art the sole, the chiefest cause of my
grief, unvanquished ever by the gifts I bring. My
tongue hath never assailed thee with angry drunken
jest^ so dear to froward anger, that thou shouklst
suffer me to grow hoarse with long complaining and
watch all night at the street corner in anguished
waiting. But oft for thee have I spun new strains
of song and bowed me to print cHnging kisses on
thy steps. How oft have I turned my back upon
thy pillars and with furtive hands bestowed the
votive gifts that were thy due."

^^ So cries he with aught else that ye, hapless
lovers^ have learned to cry^ and outclamours the
birds of dawn. So by my mistress' vices and her
lover's tears am I for aye defamed with ever-during
scorn.

45

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

XVII

Et merito_, quoniam potui fugisse puellam I

nunc ego desertas alloquor alcyonas.
nec mihi Cassiope solito visura carinam^

omniaque ingrato iitore vota cadunt.
quin etiam absenti prosunt tibi^ Cynthia^ venti :

aspice, quam saevas increpat aura minas.
nullane placatae veniet fortuna procellae }

haecine parva meum funus harena teget }
tu tamen in meHus saevas converte querelas :

sat tibi sit poenae nox et iniqua vada. 10

an poteris siccis mea fata reposcere ^ ocelhs,

ossaque nulla tuo nostra tenere sinu ?
a pereat^ quicumque rates et vela paravit

primus et invito gurgite fecit iter !
nonne fuit levius dominae pervincere mores

(quamvis dura^ tamen rara puella fuit)^
quam sic ignotis circumdata litora silvis

cernere et optatos quaerere Tyndaridas ? •
iUic si qua meum sepelissent fata dolorem,

ultimus et posito staret amore lapis, 20

illa meo caros donasset funere crines,

molUter et tenera poneret ossa rosa ;
illa meum extremo clamasset pulvere nomen,

ut mihi non ullo pondere terra foret.
at vos, aequoreae formosa Doride natae,

candida felici solvite vela choro :
si quando vestras labens Amor attigit undas^

mansuetis socio parcite litoribus.

1 reposcere Baehrens : reponere NAF*
46

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

XVII

Deservedly^ since I have had the heart to fly from
my mistress^ do I now cry to the lonely sea-mews,
nor shall Cassiope give her wonted welcome to my
bark, and all m}'^ prayers fall idly on a heartless
shore. Nay^ more, though thou art far away the
winds but aid thy cruelty : lo ! what fierce threats
the gale howls in my ear ! Will Fortune never
come to still the tempest ? Shall yonder scanty
sands hide my bones ?

^ Yet do thou but change thy savage complaints
to kinder tones ; let the dark night and threatening
shoals be in thine eyes enough punishment for me.
Wilt have the heart dry-eyed to demand my death
and ne'er to hold mine ashes to thy bosom ? Perish
the man, whoe'er he was^ that first devised ships
and sails^ and first voyaged over the unwilHng deep !
Easier task had it been to overcome my mistress' heart
— cruel was she_, yet peerless among women ! — than
thus to gaze on shores fringed with unknown forests
and seek in vain for the desired sons of Tyndareus.

^^ If some doom had buried all my grief at home^
if there my love had ended and at the last the head-
stone marked its close^ then would she have cast those
locks I loved so well upon my pyre, and have laid
my bones on a soft couch of deUcate rose-leaves : she
would have cried my name aloud over my last ashes^
praying that earth might Ue ]ight upon me.

^^ But do ye^ O sea-born daughters of lovely
Doris^ give prosperous escort and unfurl our white
sails : if ever love has ghded down and touched your
waves, spare a fellow-bondsman and guide him to a
kindly shore.

47

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

XVIII

PIaec certe deserta loca et taciturna querenti_,

et vacuum Zephyri possidet aura nemus.
hic licet occultos proferre impune dolores^

si modo sola queant saxa tenere fidem.
unde tuos primum repetam^ mea Cynthia^ fastus ?

quod mihi das flendi^ Cynthia^ principium ?
qui modo felices inter numerabar amantes,

nunc in amore tuo cogor habere notam.
quid tantum merui ? quae te mihi carmina mutant ?

an nova tristitiae causa puella tuae ? 10

sic mihi te referas^ levis^ ut non altera nostro

limine formosos intulit ulla pedes.
quamvis multa tibi dolor hic meus aspera debet^

non ita saeva tamen venerit ira mea
ut tibi sim merito semper furor^ et tua flendo

himina deiectis turpia sint lacrimis.
an quia parva damus mutato signa colore ?

et non uUa meo clamat in ore fides ?
vos eritis testes^ si quos habet arbor amores_,

fagus et Arcadio pinus amica deo. 20

a quotiens teneras resonant mea verba sub umbras,

scribitur et vestris Cynthia corticibus !
a ! tua quot ^ peperit nobis iniuria curas^

quae solum tacitis cognita sunt foribus ?
omnia consuevi timidus perferre superbae

iussa neque arguto facta dolore queri.
1 a ! tua quot 6" : an tua quod NAF,
48

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

XVIII

Here of a triith is a lonely and a silent place^ where
I may make my moan^ and the breath of the West
Wind only rules this deserted grove. Here may I
freely utter my secret griefs, if only these lone crags
can keep faith.

^ From what first beginning, Cynthia^ shall I trace
thy scorn ? What was the first cause for tears thou
gavest me ? I that but a short while since was
counted among happy lovers am now perforce an
outcast from thy love. What woe such as this have
I deserved } what spells alter thy love for me ? Is
jealousy of some new rival the cause of thine anger }
So surely mayst thou return to my embrace^ fickle
maid^ as no other woman has ever planted her fair
feet within my threshold. Though my grief owes
thee much bitterness^ yet never shall my wrath fall
so fierce upon thee^ that I should always give thee
just cause for fury and thine eyes be marred with
streaming tears.

^'^ Or is it that I give scant proof of my passion by
changing colour^ and that no token of my faith cries
aloud upon my countenance ? Ye shall be my wit-
nesses^ if trees know aught of love, beech-tree and
pine^ beloved of Arcady's god. Ah ! how oft do my
passionate words echo beneath your delicate shades,
how oft is Cynthia's name carved upon your bark !

2^ Ah ! how oft has thy injustice begotten troubles
in my heart^ that only thy silent portal knows ! I
have been wont to bear thy haughty commands with
patience^ nor ever to bemoan my grief in piercing
accents of sorrow. Yet in return for this^ ye founts

D 49

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

pro quo divini ^ fontes et frigida rupes

et datur inculto tramite dura quies ;
et quodcumque meae possunt narrare querelae^

cogor ad argutas dicere solus aves. 30

sed qualiscumque es resonent mihi '^ Cynthia " silvae,

nec deserta tuo nomine saxa vacent.

XIX

NoN ego nunc tristes vereor, mea Cynthia^ Manes^,

nec moror extremo debita fata rogo ;
sed ne forte tuo careat mihi funus amore_,

hic timor est ipsis durior exsequiis.
non adeo leviter noster puer haesit oceUis,

ut meus oblito pulvis amore vacet.
illic Phylacides iucundae coniugis heros

non potuit caecis immemor esse locis^,
sed cupidus falsis attingere gaudia palmis

Thessalus antiquam venerat umbra domum. 10

ilh*c quidquid ero^ semper tua dicar imago :

traicit et fati Htora magnus amor.
ilUc formosae veniant chorus heroinae,

quas dedit Argivis Dardana praeda viris ;
quarum nulla tua fuerit mihi^ Cynthia^ forma

gratior^ et (Tellus hoc ita iusta sinat)
quamvis te longae remorentur fata senectae^

cara tamen lacrimis ossa futura meis.
quae tu viva mea possis sentire favilla I

tum mihi non ullo mors sit amara loco. 20

1 Diviiii prohably corrupt. di ! nivei Lachmann.
50

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

divine, lo I this chill couch of rock is mine and
broken slumbers on this rugged track : and all that
my plaintive cries can tell must be uttered in this
waste place to shrill-voiced birds.

^^ But be what thou wilt^ still let the woods re-echo
^^Cynthia/' nor these lone crags have rest from the
sound of thy name.

XIX

No more now, my Cynthia^ fear I the sad world of
death ; I care not for the doom that at the lastmust
feed the fires of funeral ; this fear alone is bitterer
than death itself^ that I should go down to the grave
unloved by thee. Not with such light touch has
Love cleaved to mine eyes that my dust should
forget thee and lie loveless. Even in the dark
underworld the hero son of Phylacus could not for-
get his sweet wife^ but^ yearning to enfold his dear
one with phantom hands, the Thessalian returned in
ghostly wise to his ancient home. There^ whatsoe'er
I be, as Cynthia's lover shall my shade be known ;
strong love o'erpasses even the shores of doom.
There let the fair queens of old^ whom the spoils of
Troy gave to Argive husbands^ come in a troop to
greet me ! Yet the beauty of none of these shall
please me more than thine^ and though the doom of
okl age delay thy coming long — may earth be kind
and grant this boon ! — yet shall the sight of thine
ashes be dear to my weeping eyes : and like love
long mayst thou that livest feel^ when I am dust ;
then wheresoe'er death find me, it shall have lost its

5J

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

quam vereor^ ne te contempto^ Cynthia^ busto
abstrahat ei ! ^ nostro pulvere iniquus Amor,

cogat et invitam lacrimas siccare cadentes !
flectitur assiduis certa puella minis.

quare^ dum licet, inter nos laetemur amantes :
non satis est ullo tempore longus amor.

XX

Hoc pro continuo te^ Galle^ monemus amore^

(id tibi ne vacuo defluat ex animo)
saepe imprudenti fortuna occurrit amanti :

crudelis Minyis dixerit Ascanius.
est tibi non infra speciem^ non nomine dispar^

Theiodamanteo proximus ardor Hylae :
hunc tu^ sive leges Vmbrae sacra ^ flumina silvae^

sive Aniena tuos tinxerit unda pedes^
sive Gigantea spatiabere litoris ora^

sive ubicumque vago fluminis hospitio^ 10

Nympharum semper cupidas defende rapinas

(non minor Ausoniis est amor Adryasin ^) ;
ne tibi sit duros ^ montes et frigida saxa,

Galle^ neque experto ^ semper adire lacus :
quae miser ignotis error perpessus in oris

Herculis indomito fleverat Ascanio.

1 ei Aldiiia 1515 : e NAF.

2 Vmbrae sacra Hoeufft : umbrosae NAF.

3 Adryasin Struvius : adriacis NAF.

4 sit duros Lipsius : sint duri NAF.

5 experto Livineius : expertos NAF.

52

I

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

sting. Yet^ Cynthia^ I have a fear that thou mayst
spurn niy tomb^ and some cruel passion part thee
from my dust, and force thee^ though loth^ to dry
thy falling tears. Continued threats may bend the
will even of a loyal maid. Wherefore^ while yet
may be, let us love and be merry together. Eternity
itself is all too brief for love.

XX

Take this my warning^ Gallus^ in return for thine
unfailing love : let it not slip from thy thoughtless
mind : ^^ Fortune oft proves adverse to the heedless
lover''; so might Ascanius tell thee^ that wreaked
his spite upon the Minyae.

^ Thou hast a love most like to Hylas^ child
of Theodamas^ one not less fair nor of humbler
birth. Beware then^ whether thou wanderest by the
holy streams of Umbrian forests^ or Anio's waters
lave thy feet^ or walk'st thou on the marge of the
Giant's strand^ or wheresoe'er a river's wandering
waters welcome thee^ beware and from thy love ward
off the hands of nymphs that burn to steal (the
Ausonian Dryads love as warmly as their sisters
loved), lest it be thy fate ever to visit cruel mountain
and icy crag and lakes, that thou hast tried to thy cost.
Such woes the ill-starred wanderer Hercules suffered
in a far land and bewailed by the shores of the
relentless Ascanius. For they say that of old Argos

53

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

namque ferunt olim Pagasae navalibus Argon

egressum ^ longe Phasidos isse viam^
et iam praeteritis labentem Athamantidos undis

Mysorum scopulis applicuisse ratem. 20

hic manus heroum^ placidis ut constitit oris^

mollia composita litora fronde tegit.
at comes invicti iuvenis processerat ultra

raram sepositi quaerere fontis aquam.
hunc duo sectati fratres^ Aquilonia proles,

hunc super et Zetes^ hunc super et Calais^
oscula suspensis instabant carpere palmis^

oscula et alterna ferre supina fuga.
ille sub extrema pendens secluditur ala

et volucres ramo summovet insidias. 30

iam Pandioniae cessit ^ genus Orithyiae :

a dolor ! ibat Hylas^ ibat Hamadryasin.
hic erat Arganthi Pege sub vertice montis

grata domus Nymphis umida Thyniasin^
quam supra nullae pendebant debita curae

roscida desertis poma sub arboribus^
et circum irriguo surgebant lilia prato

candida purpureis mixta papaveribus.
quae modo decerpens tenero pueriUter ungui

proposito florem praetulit officio, 40

et modo formosis incumbens nescius undis
. errorem blandis tardat imaginibus.
tandem haurire parat demissis flumina palmis

innixus dextro plena trahens umero.

1 egressum Ellis: egressam NAF.

2 cessit 6": cesset NAF : cessat fT.

.54

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

set sail from the dockyards of Pagasa and went forth
on the long way to Phasis^ and at last^ the waves of
Helle past^ moored his bark on Mysia's rockbound
coast. Here the band of heroes went forth upon the
peaceful shore and carpeted the ground with a soft
coverlet of leaves. But the comrade of the young
unvanquished hero ranged afar to seek the scarce
waters of some distant spring. Him the two brothers
followed^ Zetes and Calais^ the North Wind's sons^
and^ bowing o'er him, both pressed on to embrace
him with hovering hands and snatch a kiss and bear
it from his upturned face^ each as in turn they fled.
But the boy^ swept off his feet^ hides clinging to one
by his pinion's backmost edge^ and with a branch
wards off the other's winged wiles. At last the
children of Orithyia^ Pandion's daughter^ retired dis-
comfited^ and Hylas, alas ! went upon his way, went
to be the wood-nymphs' prey.

^^ Here beneath the peak of Arganthus' mount
lay the well of Pege, the watery haunt so dear to
Bithynia's nymphs^ o'er which from lonely trees
there hung dewy apples that owed naught to the
hand of man^ and round about in a water-meadow
sprang snowy Hlies mingled with purple poppies.
And there, in boyish deUght^ hegently plucked them
with soft finger-tips, preferring the flowers to his
chosen task ; and now in artless wonder bent over the
fair waters and prolonged his truancy with gazing at
their mirrored charms. At length he made ready to
stretch forth his hands to the waves and draw water
therefrom^ leaning on his right shoulder and raising
a plenteous draught. But, smitten with passion at

55

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I
cuius ut accensae Dryades candorfe puellae

miratae solitos destituere choros,
prolapsum leviter facili traxere liquore :

tum sonitum rapto corpore fecit Hylas ;
cui procul Alcides iterat responsa, sed illi

nomen ab extremis fontibus aura refert. 50

his^ o Galle_, tuos monitus servabis amores,

formosum Nymphis credere visus Hylan.

XXI

^^Tv^ qui consortem properas evadere casum^

miles ab Etruscis saucius aggeribus^
quid nostro gemitu turgentia lumina torques ?

pars ego sum vestrae proxima militiae.
sic te servato_, ut possint gaudere parentes_,

ne soror acta tuis sentiat e lacrimis :
Gallum per medios ereptum Caesaris enses

effugere ignotas non potuisse manus ;
et quaecumque ^ super dispersa invenerit ossa

montibus Etruscis^ nesciat^ esse mea." 10

1 quaecunque JVAF : quicunque S".

2 nesciat Phillimore : haec sciat NAF.

56

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

the sight of that snowy shoulder^ the Hamadryads
in wonder ceased their wonted dance. Easily from
where he lay reclined they dragged him through the
yieiding flood. Then Hylas as tliey seized his body
uttered a cry, wliereto in answer Alcides shouted
again^ again^ and yet again ; but the breezes bore him
back from the fountain's edge naught save the echo
of the name.

^^ Warned by this tale^ my Gallus, thou shalt keep
thy love secure^ thou that aforetime didst seem to
entrust thy Hylas to the nymphs.

XXI

^^ SoLDiER^ that hastenest to escape thy comrades'
doom^ flying wounded from the Etruscan ramparts/
and turnest thy swollen eyes at the sound of my moan-
ing, I am one of thy nearest comrades in arms. So save
thyself, that thy parents may rejoice over thy safety,
nor thy sister learn my fate from the silent witness
of thy tears ; how Gallus^ though he escaped through
the midst of Caesar's swordsmen^ yet could not escape
the hand of some unknown spoiler ; and whatever
bones she may find scattered on the mountains of
Tuscany, let her not know them to be mine."

1 /.€. , of Perusia. See Index, s. v, Perusinus.

57

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER I

XXII

QvALis et unde genus, qui sint mihi, Tulle^ Penates,

quaeris pro nostra semper amicitia.
si Perusina tibi patriae sunt nota sepulcra,

Italiae duris funera temporibus,
cum Romana suos egit discordia civis ;

(sic_, mihi praecipue^ pulvis Etrusca, dolor^
tu proiecta mei perpessa es membra propinqui,

tu nullo miseri contegis ossa solo)
proxima supposito contingens Vmbria campo

me genuit terris fertilis uberibus. J 0

58

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK I

XXII

TuLLus^ thou askest ever in our friendship*s name,
what is my rank^ whence my descent, and where
my home. If thou knowest our country's graves at
Perusia, the scene of death in the dark hours of
Italy, when civil discord maddened tlie citizens
of Rome (hence, dust of Tuscany^ art thou my
bitterest sorrow, for thou hast borne the limbs
of my comrade that were cast out unburied^ thou
shroudest his ill-starred corpse with nevera dole of
earth)^ know then that where Umbria^ rich in fertile
lands^ joins the wide plain that lies below, there
was l born.

59

BOOK II

LIBER SECVNDVS

I

QvAERiTis, unde mihi totiens scribantur amores,

unde meus veniat mollis in ore liber.
non haec Calliope, non haec mihi cantat Apollo^

ingenium nobis ipsa puella facit.
sive illam Cois fulgentem incedere cogis_,

hoc totum e Coa veste volumen erit ;
seu vidi ad frontem sparsos errare capillos^

gaudet laudatis ire superba comis ;
sive lyrae carmen digitis percussit eburnis_,

miramur^ faciles ut premat arte manus ; 10

seu cum poscentes somnum declinat ocellos_,

invenio causas mille poeta novas ;
seu nuda erepto mecum luctatur amictu,

tum vero longas condimus Iliadas ;
seu quidquid fecit sive est quodcumque locuta,

maxima de nihilo nascitur historia.
quod mihi si tantum^ Maecenas^ fata dedissent^

ut possem heroas ducere in arma manus_,
non ego Titanas canerem, non Ossan Olympo

impositam^ ut caeli Pelion esset iter^ 20

69

THE SECOND BOOK

You ask me^ from what source so oft I draw my songs
of love and whence comes my book that sounds so
soft upon the tongue. 'Tis not Calliope nor Apollo
that singeth these things ; 'tis my mistress' self that
makes my wit. If thou wilt have her walk radiant
in silks of Cos^ of Coan raiment all this my book shall
tell ; or have I seen her tresses stray dishevelled o'er
her brow^ I praise her locks and she walks abroad
in pride and gladness ; or struck she forth music
from the lyre with ivory fingers^ I marvel with what
easy skill she sweeps her hands along the strings ; or
when she droops those eyes that call for sleep I find
a thousand new themes for song ; or if, flinging away
her robe, she enter naked with me in the lists, then_,
then I write whole Iliads long. Whate'er she does^
whate^er she says^ from a mere nothing springs a
mighty tale.

^'^ But if, Maecenas_, the Fates had granted me the
power to lead the hosts of heroes into war, I would
not sing the Titans^ nor Ossa on Olympus piled, that
Pelion might be a path to heaven. Td sing not

6S

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

nec veteres Thebas^ nec Pergama nomen Homeri,

Xerxis et imperio bina coisse vada^
regnave prima Remi aut animos Carthaginis altae^

Cimbrorumque minas et benefacta Mari :
bellaque resque tui memorarem Caesaris^ et tu

Caesare sub magno cura secunda fores.
nam quotiens Mutinam aut civilia busta Phihppos

aut canerem Siculae classica bella fugae,
eversosque focos antiquae gentis Etruscae,

et Ptolomaeei litora capta Phari^ 30

aut canerem Aegyptum et Nilum^ cum atratus ^
in urbem

septem captivis debilis ibat aquis,
aut regum auratis circumdata colla catenis^

Actiaque in Sacra currere rostra Via ;
te mea Musa illis semper contexeret armis^

et sumpta et posita pace fidele caput :

2

• ■ • • •

Theseus infernis, superis testatur Achilles^

hic Ixioniden^ ille Menoetiaden.
sed neque Phlegraeos lovis Enceladique tumultus

intonet angusto pectore Callimachus^ 40

nec mea conveniunt duro praecordia versu

Caesaris in Phrygios condere nomen avos.
navita de ventis, de tauris narrat arator^

enumerat ^ miles vulnera_, pastor oves ;.

1 atratus Baehrens : attractusiV^; attractatus F : tractus 5~.

2 A couplet seems to have heen lost, since something is needed
to introduce the mythological 'parallels for the friendship of
Augustus and Maecenas.

3 enumerat AF : et numerat N.

64

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

Thebes nor Troy^s citadel^ that is Homer's glory^
nor yet how at Xerxes' bidding sea met sundered
sea^ nor^ again^ would I chant the primeval realm
of Remus or the fierce spirit of lofty Carthage^
the Cimbrian's threats or the service wrought
by Marius for the State. But I would tell of the
wars and the deeds of thy master Caesar, and next
after mighty Caesar my thoughts should turn on
thee. For oft as I sangof Mutina or Philippi^ where
Romans He by Romans slain^ or of the sea-fight and
the rout by the Sicilian shore^ the ruined hearths of
Etruria's ancient race^ and the capture of the shore
where Ptolemy*s Pharos stands ; oft as I sang of
Egypt and the Nile, what time in mourning garb he
went humbly to Rome with his seven captive streams,
or of the necks of kings bound about with chains of
gold, and the prows of Actium speeding along the
Sacred Way ; so oft would my Muse weave thy name
into those deeds_, true heart in peace or war.
. ■ • • •

Theseus to the shades below^ Achilles to the gods
above^ proclaim a comrade's love^ the one of Ixion's
childj the other of the son of Menoetius.

^^ But neither would CalUmachus' scant breath avail
to thunder forth the strife 'twixt Jove and Enceladus
on Phlegra's plains^ nor has my heart power in verse
severe to trace the line of Caesar tohisPhrygiangrand-
sires. The sailor talks of winds^ the ploughman of oxen^
the soldier counts o'er his wounds^ the shepherd his

E 65

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

nos contra angusto versantes proelia lecto :

qua pote quisque^ in ea conterat arte diem.
laus in amore mori : laus altera^ si datur uno

posse frui : fruar o solus amore meo !
si memini^ solet illa leves eulpare puellas,

et totam ex Helena non probat Iliada. 50

seu mihi sunt tangenda novercae pocula
Phaedrae,

pocula privigno non nocitura suo^
seu mihi Circaeo pereundum est gramine^ sive

Colchis lolciacis ^ urat aena focis,
una meos quoniam praedata est femina sensus,

ex hac ducentur funera nostra domo.
omnes humanos sanat medicina dolores :

solus amor morbi non amat artificem.
tarda Philoctetae sanavit crura Machaon^

Phoenicis Chiron lumina Phillyrides, 60

et deus exstinctum Cressis Epidaurius herbis

restituit patriis Androgeona focis^
Mysus et Haemonia iuvenis qua cuspide vulnus

senserat_, hac ipsa cuspide sensit opem.
hoc si quis vitium poterit mihi demere^ solus

Tantaleae ^ poterit tradere poma manu ;
do]ia virgineis idem ille repleverit urniSj

ne tenera assidua colla graventur aqua ;
idem Caucasia solvet de rupe Promethei

bracchia et a medio pectore pellet avem. 70

1 lolciacis Scaliger : Colchiacis NAF.

2 Tantaleae Beroaldus : Tantalea NF,

6Q

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

sheep^ while we for our part tell of lovers' wars upon
a narrow couch ! Let each man pass his days in that
wherein his skill is greatest. To die for love is glory ;
and glory yet again to have power to joy in one love
only; ah, may I, and I alone, joy in the love that's
mine. If memory fails me not^ she is wont to blame
fickle-hearted maids, and on account of Helen frowns
on the whole Ihad. Though I be doomed to drink
of the cup that the stepdame Phaedra brewed^ the
cup whereof her stepson^ was destined to take no
hurt^ or must die of Circe's herbs ; or though for
me the Colchian witch heat the caldron on the fires
of lolcus^ yet since one girl hath stolen away my
senses^ from her house only shall go forth my funeral
train.

^'^ Medicine cures all the anguish of mankind ;
love alone loves no physician of its ill. Machaon
healed Philoctetes' hmping feet^ Chiron the son of
Phillyra opened the eyes of Phoenix^ the Epidaurian
god restored the dead Androgeon to his fathers
hearth by power of Cretan herbs^ and the Mysian
youth received succour from the same Haemonian
spear that dealt the wound. If any can take this
frailty from me, he and he alone wili be able to
bring the apple to the hands of Tantalus ; he too
^ shall fill the casks from the maidens' ^ pitchers, that
their tender necks be not bowed for ever by the
burden of water ; he too shall loose Prometheus'
arms from the Caucasian crag and drive the vulture
from his inmost heart.

1 Hippolytus. This is the only known allusion to an
attempt on the part of Phaedra to poison him,

2 The Danaids.

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SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

quandocumque igitur vitam mea fata reposcent,

et breve in exiguo marmore nomen ero^
Maecenas^ nostrae spes invidiosa iuventae^

et vitae et morti gloria iusta meae^
si te forte meo ducet via proxima busto,

esseda caelatis siste Britanna iugis^
taliaque illacriraans mutae iace verba favillae :

^' Huic misero fatum dura puella fuit."

II

LiBER eram et vacuo meditabar vivere lecto ;

at me composita pace fefellit Amor.
cur haec in terris facies humana moratur ?

luppitur^ ignosco ^ pristina furta tua.
fulva coma est longaeque manus^ et maxima toto

corpore^ et incedit vel love digna soror^
aut cum Dulichias Pallas spatiatur ad aras^

Gorgonis anguiferae pectus operta comis;
qualis et Ischomache Lapithae genus heroine_,

Centauris medio grata rapina mero; 10

Mercurio et sacris ^ fertur Boebeidos undis

virgineum Brimo ^ composuisse latus.
cedite iam^ divae, quas pastor viderat ohm

Idaeis tunicas ponere verticibus !
hanc utinam faciem nolit mutare senectus_,

etsi Cumaeae saecula vatis aget !

1 ignosco n : ignoro NF,

2 et sacris Butler : sacris cod. Barberinus : satis NF.

3 Brimo Turnebus : primo NF.

68

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

'^^ Therefore when at last the Fates demand my
life^ and I shall be no more than a brief name on a
little stone of marble^ then^ Maecenas^ thou hope
and envy of our Roman youth_, and^ whether I live or
die^ mine own true glory, if perchance thy journeying
lead thee near my tomb_, stay awhile thy British
chariot with carven yoke, and weeping pay this tribute
to the silent dust : " An unrelenting maid wrought
this poor mortars death."

II

I WAS free and thought henceforth to lie alone of
nights ; but though the truce was made^ Love played
me false. Why abides such mortal beauty upon
earth ? Jupiter^ I pardon thy gallantries of olden
time. Yellow is her hair^ and tapering her hands,
tall and fuU her figure^ and stately her walk^ worthy
the sister of Jove or like to Pallas, when she
strides to Dulichian altars_, her breast veiled by the
Gorgons' snaky locks. Fair is she as Ischomache,
heroic child of the Lapithae^ the Centaurs' welcome
spoil in the revels midst^ or as Brimo when by the
sacred waters of Boebeis she laid her virgin body at
Mercury's side. Yield now, ye goddesses, whom of
old the shepherd saw lay aside your raiment on the
heights of Ida ! And oh ! may old age never mar
that face^ though she reach the years of the Cumaean
prophetess.

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SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

III

Qvi nullum tibi dicebas iam posse nocere^

haesisti^ cecidit spiritus ille tuus !
vix unum potes^ infelix^ requiescere mensem^

et turpis de te iam liber alter erit.
quaerebam^ sicca si posset piscis harena

nec solitus ponto vivere torvus aper ;
aut ego si possem studiis vigilare severis :

difFertur, numquam tollitur ullus amor.
nec me tam facies^ quamvis sit candida^ cepit

(lilia non domina sint magis alba mea ; 10

ut Maeotica nix minio si certet Hibero,

utque rosae puro lacte natant folia),
nec de more comae per levia colla fluentes^

non oculi^ geminae^ sidera nostra^ faces^
nec si qua Arabio lucet bombyce puella

(non sum de nihilo blandus amator ego) :
quantum quod posito formose saltat laccho^

egit ut euhantes dux Ariadna choros^
et quantum^ AeoHo cum temptat carmina plectro,

par Aganippeae ludere docta lyrae ; 20

et sua cum antiquae committit scripta Corinnae,

carminaque Erinnes ^ non putat aequa suis.
non tibi nascenti primis_, mea vita_, diebus

candidus ^ argutum sternuit omen Amor ?
haec tibi contulerunt caelestia munera divi^

haec tibi ne matrem forte dedisse putes.

1 -que Erinnes Volscus, Beroaldus : quae lyrines ijlv : quae
quivis NF, 2 candidus Macrohius : ardidus JVF,

70

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

III

Thou^ that didst boast that nought could harm thee
more;, art caught in the snare : thy proud spirit has
fallen. Scarce^ poor wretch^ canst thou find rest for a
single month^ and now a second book of shame shall
tell of thy doings. I was as one that seeks whether
a fish may live on the dry sands^ or a fierce wild
boar in the midst of unfamiHar waves, when I tried
if I could pass the night in sterner studies. Love is
but put off, extinguished never.

^ 'Twas not her face, bright though it be, that
won me. Lilies would not surpass my mistress for
whiteness ; 'tis as though Maeotic snows were to
strive with Spanish vermilion^ or rose-leaves floated
amid stainless milk. 'Twas not her hair flowing
trimly o'er her smooth neck^ 'twas not the twin
torches of her eyes^ my lodestars, nor a girl shining
in Arabian silks : not for such trifles as these am I
a gallant lover ! 'Tis rather that at the revers close
she dances wondrously^ even as Ariadne led the
Maenad dance ; 'tis rather that when she essays to
sing to the Aeolian iyre she rivals the harp of
Aganippe in her skill to play, and challenges with
her verse the writings of ancient Corinna, and counts
not Erinna's songs the equals of her own.

^^ My Hfe^ did not bright Love sneeze a shrill
omen at thine hour of birth^ when day first dawned
for thee ? These heavenly gifts the gods_, the gods
bestowed^ for I would not have thee think that 'twas
thy mother gave them. Such boons no human

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SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

non non humani partus sunt talia dona ;

ista decem menses non peperere bona.
gloria Romanis una es tu nata puellis :

Romana accumbes prima puella lovi^ 30

nec semper nobiscum humana cubilia vises ;

post Helenam haec terris forma secunda redit.
hac ego nunc mirer si flagret nostra iuventus ?

pulchrius hac fuerat^ Troia, perire tibi,
oUm mirabar^ quod tanti ad Pergama belli

Europae atque Asiae causa puella fuit :
nunc, Pari, tu sapiens et tu^ Menelae, fuisti^

tu quia poscebas^ tu quia lentus eras.
digna quidem facies^ pro qua vel obiret Achilles ;

vel Priamo belli causa probanda fuit. 40

si quis vult fama tabulas anteire vetustas,

hic dominam exemplo ponat in arte meam :
sive illam Hesperiis, sive illam ostendet Eois^

uret et Eoos, uret et Hesperios.
his saltem ut tenear iam finibus ! aut mihi^ si quis,

acrius ut moriar, venerit alter amor !
ac veluti primo taurus detractat aratra^

post venit assueto molHs ad arva iugo_,
sic primo iuvenes trepidant in amore feroces^

dehinc domiti post haec aequa et iniqua ferunt. 50
turpia perpessus vates est vincla Melampus^

cognitus Iphicli surripuisse boves ;
quem non lucra^ magis Pero formosa coegit^

mox Amythaonia nupta futura domo.

72

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

parentage can confer^ those charms ne'er sprang
from mortal womb. Thou and thou only wast
born to be the glory of Roman maids ; thou shalt be
the first maid of Rome to lie with Jove^ nor shalt
thou forever in our midst visit mortal couches.^
Helen wore this beauty once^ and now 'tis come to
earth again with thee.

^^ For thee then that our youth should burn^ why
should I wonder now ? Better^ O Troy^ to have
perished for Cynthia's sake. Of old I wondered that
a girl should have been the cause of so mighty a
conflict before the citadel of Troy, where Europe and
Asia met in war. Now^ Paris_, I hold that thou, and
thou^ Menelaus^ wert wise^ thou that thou didst
demand^ thou that thou wert slow to reply. Worthy
in sooth was such a face, that for it even Achilles
should face death ; even Priam could not but approve
such cause for strife. If any desire to surpass the
fame of all ancient pictures^ let him take my mistress
as model for his art ; if he show her to the peoples
of the West or to the peoples of the East^ he will set
the East and set the West afire.

^^ These bounds at least let me never more out-
step ! Or if I do^ let another passion smite me^ if
such there be, that shall burn me with keener agony.
As at first the ox refuses the plough_, yet at length
becomes famiHar to the yoke and goes quietly to the
fields^ so do proud youths fret in the first ecstasy of
love^ then^ calmer grown, bear good and ill alike.
Melampus the seer endured dishonouring fetters^
convicted of having stolen the kine of Iphiclus : yet
'twas not gain^ but rather the fair face of Pero com-
pelled him, Pero soon to be a bride in the halls of
Amythaon.

1 Or perhaps " with me this mortal couch."

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SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

IV

MvLTA prius dominae delicta queraris oportet,

saepe roges aliquid, saepe repulsus eas^
et saepe immeritos corrumpas dentibus ungues^

et crepitum dubio suscitet ira pede !
nequiquam perfusa meis unguenta capillis,

ibat et expenso planta morata gradu.
non hic herba valet, non hic nocturna Cytaeis,

non Perimedeae ^ gramina cocta manus ;
quippe ubi nec causas nec apertos cernimus ictus^

unde tamen veniant tot mala caeca via est ; 1 0
non eget hic medicis, non lectis mollibus aeger^

huic nullum caeli tempus et aura nocet ;
ambulat — et subito mirantur funus amici !

sic est incautum^ quidquid habetur amor.
nam cui non ego sum fallaci praemia vati ?

quae mea non decies somnia versat anus ?
hostis si quis erit nobis^ amet ille puellas :

gaudeat in puero^ si quis amicus erit.
tranquillo tuta descendis flumine cumba :

quid tibi tam parvi litoris unda nocet ? 20

alter saepe uno mutat praecordia verbo^

altera vix ipso sanguine moUis erit.

1 Perimedeae Beroaldus on the authority of ^^ some MSS/^-
per medeae JVF.

74

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

IV

Oft first must thou bemoan the transgressions of thy
mistress^ oft must thou ask a boon^ and oft depart
denied. Oft must thou bite thy nails for wrath at
thine unmerited woe^ and in anger stamp the ground
with hesitating foot.

^ In vain was my hair drenehed with perfumes, in
vain my feet went lingeringly with measured step.
For such a case as mine avails no drug, no Colchian
sorceress of the night^ no^ nor the herbs Perimede*s
hands distilled. For here we see no cause nor whence
the blow is dealt ; dark is the path whereby so many
griefs come none the less. In such a case the sick
man needs no physician^ no soft pillows ; him no
inclement season^ no wind of heaven racks : he walks
abroad, and on a sudden his friends marvel to see him
dead. Whate'er love be, 'tis a strange thing^ that
none may guard against. For what lying seer have I
not rewarded ? What hag has not three times three
pondered my dreams .^

^' Let my enemies love women, my friends have
their delight in a boy. For then thou descendest
the tranquil stream in unimperilled bark. How can
the waves of such a tiny shore do thee hurt ? His
heart is oft softened by a singie word ; she will scarce
be appeased even by thy blood.

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SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

Hoc verum est^ tota te ferri, Cynthia_, Roma^

et non ignota vivere nequitia ?
haec merui sperare ? dabis mihi^ perfida^ poenas :

et nobis aliquo/ Cjnthia^ ventus erit.
inveniam tamen e multis fallacibus unam^

quae fieri nostro carmine nota veHt_,
nec mihi tam duris insultet moribus et te

velUcet : heu sero flebis amata diu.
nunc est ira recens^ nunc est discedere tempus :

si dolor afuerit, crede_, redibit amor. 10

non ita Carpathiae variant Aquilonibus undae^

nec dubio nubes vertitur atra Noto^
quam facile irati verbo mutantur amantes :

dum Hcetj iniusto subtrahe colla iugo.
nec tu non ahquid^ sed prima nocte^ dolebis ;

omne in amore malum^ si patiare^ leve est.
at tu per dominae lunonis dulcia iura

parce tuis animis^ vita^ nocere tibi.
non solum taurus ferit uncis cornibus hostem^

verum etiam instanti laesa repugnat ovis. 20

nec tibi periuro scindam de corpore vestes^

nec mea praeclusas fregerit ira fores^
nec tibi conexos iratus carpere crines^
nec duris ausim laedere pollicibus :
rusticus haec aliquis tam turpia proelia quaerat^

cuius non hederae circuiere caput.
1 aliquo Bosscha : aquilo NF.

76

I

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

Is this true^ Cynthia^ that through all Rome th}^ name
is a by word^ and that thou Hvest in open wantonness ?
Did I deserve to look for this ? Faithless one^ I will
punish thee, and the wind shall bear me. Cynthia^ to
some other haven. Though all womankind be deceit-
ful^ yet out of so many I shall find one that will be
glad to be made famous by my song^ that will not
with heart hard as thine heap insult on my head^
but will revile thy name. Alas ! loved for so long,
too late will fall thy tears !

^ Now is mine anger fresh^ now is the time to part
from thee : when the smart is over^ believe me^ love
will return. Not so swiftly do the Carpathian waves
change their hue beneath the North Wind's blasts^
not so swiftly veers the dark storm-cloud before the
South-West's shifting gale^ as one word will lightly
change the wrath of lovers. While yet thou mayst^
Propertius^ withdraw thy neck from the unjust yoke.
Somewhat wilt thou suffer^ but only on the first night ;
so but thou wilt endure^ all love's ills are Hght.

1' But oh ! by the sweet laws of our mistress Juno
do thou^ my life^ spare by thy waywardness to harm
thyself. Not only the bull strikes at its foe with
curved horn ; even the ewe when hurt resists the
aggressor. I will not rend thy raiment from thy
faithless limbs^ nor shall my anger break down the
doors thou barrest against me ; I would not venture
in my wrath to tear thy plaited tresses^ nor bruise
thee with cruel fist. Let some boor seek combats
base as this^ around whose head the ivy ne'er hath
twined. I will but write words_, that thy lifetime

77

SEXTI PROPERTl ELEGIARVM LIBER II

scribam igitur^ quod non umquam tua deleat aetas,
^' Cynthia^ forma potens ; Cynthia^ verba levis."

crede mihi^ quamvis contemnas murmura famae^
hic tibi pallori^ Cynthia, versus erit. 30

VI

NoN ita complebant Ephyreae Laidos aedes^

ad cuius iacuit Graecia tota fores ;
turba Menandreae fuerat nec Thaidos oUm

tanta^ in qua populus lusit Erichthonius ;
nec quae deletas potuit componere Thebas^

Phryne tam multis facta beata viris.
quin etiam falsos fingis tibi saepe propinquos^

oscula nec desunt qui tibi iure ferant.
me iuvenum pictae facies^ me nomina laedunt^

me tener in cunis et sine voce puer ; 10

me laedet^ si multa tibi dabit oscula mater,

me soror et cum quae ^ dormit amica simul :
omnia me laedent : timidus sum (ignosce timori)

et miser in tunica suspicor esse virum.
his oUm^ ut fama est_, vitiis ad proelia ventum est,

his Troiana vides funera principiis ;
aspera Centauros eadem dementia iussit

frangere in adversum pocula Pirithoum.
cur exempla petam Graium ? tu criminis auctor^

nutritus duro^ Romule^ lacte lupae : 20

tu rapere intactas docuisti impune Sabinas :

per te nunc Romae quidhbet audet Amor.
1 quae Dousa : qua 2VF,
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THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

shall not see efFaced : ^^ Cynthia, mighty is thy beauty ;
Cynthia_, light are thy words." Believe me^ though
thou spurn the whisper of scandal^, this verse will
drive the colour from thy cheek.

VI

NoT so was the house of Ephyrean Lais thronged,
at whose doors all Greece lay bowed ; nor even did
Menander's 'Fhais^ the darling of the folk of Athens,
gather about her such a swarm of gallants ; nor
Phryne, who might have restored the ruined walls of
Thebes^ so many a lover had brought her riches.

^ Aye^ and oft thou feign*st false kindred and
lackest not those that have a right to kiss thee.
Jealous am I of the very portraits, the very names of
young men^ even of the tender boy in the cradle
that knows not how to speak. Jealous shall I be
of thy mother if she gives thee many a kiss^ of thy
sister and of the friend that may chance to sleep with
thee. All things will awake my fears ; I am a coward
(pardon my cowardice)^ and beneath the woman's
dress I, poor fool^ suspect the presence of a man.

^^ 'Twas by reason of such jealousies that of old^ as
the story goes, the world went forth to battle ; such
was the beginning of the slaughter before Troy. The
same madness bade the Centaurs break embossed
goblets in conflict against Pirithous. Why should I
seek examples from the tales of Greece } Thou,
Romulus, nurtured by the milk of the cruel she-wolf,
didst give warrant for the crime ; thou taughtest thy
Romans to ravish unpunished the Sabine maids ; thou
art the cause that now there is naught Love dare not
do at Rome. Happy was the wife of Admetus^ happy

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SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

felix Admeti coniunx et lectus Vlixis^

et quaecumque viri femina limen amat !
templa Pudicitiae quid opus statuisse puellis,

si cuivis nuptae quidlibet esse licet ?
quae manus obscenas depinxit prima tabellas

et posuit casta turpia visa domo^
illa puellarum ingenuos corrupit ocellos

nequitiaeque suae noluit esse rudes. 30

a gemat^ in terris ista qui protulit arte

iurgia sub tacita condita laetitia !
non istis olim variabant tecta figuris :

tum paries nullo crimine pictus erat.
sed non immerito velavit aranea fanum

et mala desertos occupat herba deos.
quos igitur tibi custodes^ quae limina ponam^

quae numquam supra pes inimicus eat ?
nam nihil invitae tristis custodia prodest :

quam peccare pudet, Cynthia, tuta sat est. 40

nos uxor numquam^ numquam seducet ^ amica :

semper amica mihi^ semper et uxor eris.

VII

Gavisa est certe sublatam Cynthia legem_,
qua quondam edicta flemus ^ uterque diu^

ni nos divideret : quamvis diducere amantes
non queat invitos luppiter ipse duos.

1 seducet Rothstein : me ducet NF.

2 flemus cod, Beroaldi : stemus J\F,

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THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

the partner of Ulysses' bed^ and every woman that
loves her husband's home.

2^ VVhat profits it for maids to found temples in
honour of Chastity^ if every bride is permitted to be
whate'er she will ? The hand that first painted lewd
pietures, and set up objects foul to view in chaste
homes^ first corrupted the unsullied eyes of maids
and refused to allow them to be ignorant of its own
wantonness. May he groan in torment who by his
vile art first wakened strife 'twixt lovers^ strife
lurking secret under silent joy ! ^ Not with such
figures did men of old adorn their houses ; then their
walls had no foul deeds painted on them. But
deservedly have cobwebs gathered o'er the temples
and rank herbage has overgrown the neglected gods.

^^ Wliat guardians then^ what limits shall I set
thee^ thresholds o'er which no enemy's foot shall
ever pass ? For no stern guardian can save her that
will not be saved : she alone is surely guarded, my
Cynthia, who is ashamed to sin. As for me, no wife
nor mistress shall ever steal me from thee ; for me
thou shalt at once be mistress and wife.

VII

In very truth Cynthia rejoiced when that law was
swept away, at the making of which we both wept
for many an hour^ for fear it should divide us : though
against their will not Jove himself could part a pair

1 The reason seems to be that the contemplation of such
pictures, though it may give siient pleasure, yet contains in
germ the severance of lovers through infidelity.

F 81

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIJBER II

'^At magnus Caesar." sed magnus Caesar in
armis :

devictae gentes nil in amore valent.
nam citius paterer caput hoc discedere collo

quam possem nuptae perdere more faces^
aut ego transirem tua limina clausa maritus,

respiciens udis prodita luminibus. 10

a mea tum quales caneret tibi tibia somnos,

tibia^ funesta tristior illa tuba !
unde mihi patriis natos praebere triumphis ? ^

nuUus de nostro sanguine miles erit.
quod si vera meae comitarem ^ castra puellae^

non mihi sat magnus Castoris iret equus.
hinc etenim tantum meruit mea gloria nomen_,

gloria ad hibernos lata Borysthenidas.
tu mihi sola places : placeam tibi^ Cynthia, solus :

hic erit et patrio nomine ^ pluris amor. 20

VIII

Eripitvr nobis iam pridem cara puella :
et tu me lacrimas fundere^ amice_, vetas ?

nullae sunt inimicitiae nisi amoris acerbae :
ipsum me iugula^ lenior hostis ero.

possum ego in alterius positam spectare lacerto ?
nec mea dicetur, quae modo dicta mea est ?

1 A new elegy in NP.

2 comitarem S~ : comitarent NF.

3 nomine Postgate : saiiguine NP.

82

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

of lovers. ^^ Nay/' say you^ ^^ but Caesar is mighty."
True, but his might is the might of armies : to have
vanquished nations counts for nothing in the vv^orld
of love. For sooner would I suffer my head to be
severed from my body than I could quench the fire
of our passion at the w^him of a bride, or^ a wedded
husband, pass thy house forever barred to me, and
glance back with streaming eyes at the threshold I
had betrayed. Ah I then of what slumbers would
the pipe of the wedding company sing to thee^ tliat
pipe more sadly sounding than the trump of funeral !
^^ How should I furnish children to swell our
country's triumphs ? From my blood shall no soldier
ever spring. But if I were to follow my mistress' camp
(the one true camp for me !), not mighty enough for me
were Castor's war-horse. 'Twas in Love's warfare that
my fame won such renown^ fame that has travelled to
the wintry Borysthenidae. Thou only pleasest me ;
let me in like manner^ Cynthia, be thy only pleasure :
love such as this will be worth more to me than the
name of father.

VIII

The girl I loved so long is being torn from my
arms^ and dost thou^ my friend^ forbid me to weep }
No enmities are bitter save those of love ; slay me
if thou wilt^ and my hatred shall be milder far. Can
I bear to behold her recHned on another's arm ?
Shall she no more be called ^^ mine/' that was
^^mine" so lately ? AU things change : and loves

83

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

omnia vertuntur : certe vertuntur amores :
vineeris aut vincis^ haec in amore rota est.

magni saepe duces^ magni cecidere tyranni^

et Thebae steterant altaque Troia fuit. 10

munera quanta dedi vel quaUa carmina feci !
illa tamen numquam ferrea dixit ^^ Amo." ^

VIIIa

Ergo iam multos nimium temerarius annos^

improba_, qui tulerim teque tuamque domum ?
ecquandone tibi liber sum visus ? an usque

in nostrum iacies verba superba caput ?
sic igitur prima moriere aetate^ Properti ?

sed morere ; interitu gaudeat illa tuo !
exagitet nostros Manes, sectetur et umbras,,

insultetque rogis^ calcet et ossa mea ! 20

[quid ? non Antigonae tumulo Boeotius Haemon

corruit ipse suo saucius ense latus,
et sua cum miserae permiscuit ossa puellae^

qua sine Thebanam noluit ire domum ? ^]
sed non effugies : mecum moriaris oportet ;

hoc eodem ferro stillet uterque cruor.

1 The MSS. marJc no hreaJc at this point. But 1-12 can stand
hy themselves and clearly do not helong to what follows. I there-
fore marh a new elegy.

2 Lines 21-24 cannot helong to their presertt context ; the
simile is too irrelevant. Housman ivould place them after
XXVIII. 40., perhaps rightly.

84

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

not least ; conqueror thou art or conquered ; so
turns the wheel of love. Oft have leaders and lords
of might fallen ; Thebes stood of old and lofty Troy
once was. What gifts I gave her, what songs I made
for her ! Yet never did she soften her iron heart
nor say, ^^ I love thee."

VIIIa

So then, have I^ tiiat through so many years too
rashly have endured thee and thy household^ cruel
girl^ have I ever seemed to thee aught save thy
slave ? Or wilt thou never cease to hurl words of
scorn at me ?

^'^ So then^ Propertius^ must thou die in thine
earliest youth ? Nay, die ! let her rejoice to see thee
perish ! Let her harry my ghost^ and vex my shade^ let
her trample on my pyre and spurn my bones ! [ Why ?
Did not Boeotian Haemon die by Antigone's tomb,
his side rent by the sword^ and mingle his bones with
those of the hapless maid^ without whom he would
not return to his Theban home ?] But thou shalt
not escape ; thou must die with me^ on this same
steel must drip the blood of both ! Such death shall

85

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

quamvis ista mihi mors est inhonesta futura :
mors inhonesta quidem^ tu moriere tamen.^

ille etiam abrepta desertus coniuge Achilles

cessare in tectis pertuUt arma sua. 30

viderat ille fugas^ tractos in litore Achivos^

fervere et Hectorea Dorica castra face ;
viderat informem multa Patroclon harena

porrectum et sparsas caede iacere comas^
omnia formosam propter Briseida passus :

tantus in erepto saevit amore dolor.
at postquam sera captiva est reddita poena^

fortem illum Haemoniis Hectora traxit equis.
inferior multo cum sim vel matre ^ vel armis^

mirum_, si de me iure triumphat Amor ? 40

IX

IsTE quod est^ ego saepe fui : sed fors et in hora

hoc ipso eiecto ^ carior alter erit.
Penelope poterat bis denos salva per annos

vivere_, tam multis femina digna procis ;
coniugium falsa poterat differre Minerva^

nocturno solvens texta diurna dolo ;
visura et quamvis numquam speraret Vhxen_,

illum exspectando facta remansit anus.

1 Some lines seem to have heen lost at this point, if, indeed,
29-40 can he regarded as helonging at all to ivhat precedes.

2 matre, a MS. of L. Valla : marfce NF,

3 eiecto 5~ : electo JVF,
86

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

be for me a death of shame ; but^ shameful though
it be^ thou still shalt die.

^^ Even the great Achilles when left forlorn, his
love snatched from his side^ endured that his arms
should lie idle in his tent. He saw the rout^ the
Achaeans dragged along the shore, he saw the Dorian
camp glow with the torch of Hector^ he saw Patroclus
he low defiled with clotted sand^ his streaming hair
dabbled with blood ; and all this he endured for the
sake of the lovely Briseis. Such is the force and
fierceness of grief when love is stolen away. But
when with tardy retribution his captive was restored
to him_, it was the same Achilles dragged brave
Hector at the heels of his Haemonian steeds. What
wonder then if Love rightfully triumphs over me_,
that have neither mother nor armour Hke to his ?

IX

VVhat yonder fool now is^ I often was, Yet one day,
it may be, he too shall be cast forth and another
dearer to thy heart.

^ Penelope was able to live true to her vows for
twice ten years^ a woman worthy to be wooed of so
many suitors ; she was able to put off her marriage by
her false weaving^ in crafty wise^ unravelHng by night
the weft of the day, and though she ne'er hoped to
look on Ulysses' face again^ she remained faithful in
his house^ grown old in waiting his return. Briseis

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SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

nec non exanimem amplectens Briseis Achillen

candida vesana verberat ora manu ; 10

et dominum lavit maerens captiva cruentum^

propositum fulvis ^ in Simoenta vadis,
foedavitque comas^ et tanti corpus Achilli

maximaque in parva sustulit ossa manu ;
cum tibi nec Peleus aderat nec caerula mater^

Scvria nec viduo Deidamia toro.^
tunc igitur veris gaudebat Graecia natis^

tunc etiam felix inter et arma pudor.
at tu non una potuisti nocte vacare^

impia^ non unum sola manere diem ! 20

quin etiam multo duxistis pocula risu :

forsitan et de me verba fuere mala.
hic etiam petitur^ qui te prius ante reliquit :

di faciant^ isto capta fruare viro !
haec mihi vota tuam propter suscepta salutem^

cum capite hoc Stygiae iam poterentur aquae^
et lectum flentes circum staremus amici ?

hic ubi tum^ pro di^ perfida^ quisve fuit ?
quid si longinquos retinerer miles ad Indos,

aut mea si staret navis in Oceano ? 30

sed vobis facile est verba et componere fraudes :

hoc unum didicit femina semper opus.
non sic incerto mutantur flamine Syrtes,

nec folia hiberno tam tremefacta Noto^
quam cito feminea non constat foedus in ira^

sive ea causa gravis sive ea causa levis.
1 fulvis r : fluviis NF, 2 tQ^.Q jigi{ . yI^q jyp

88

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

too^ one arm about her dead Achilles^ beat her fair
cheeks with frenzied hand^ and^ captive as she was^
with weeping washed the bloodstained corpse of her
lord and master^ where she had laid him in the
yellow shallows of Simois ; she cast ashes on her
hair^ and her small hand sufficed to hold the body
and mighty bones of the great Achilles. For in that
day^ Acliilles^ neither Peleus nor thy sea-born mother^
nor Scyrian Deidamia^ whom thou leftest widowed,
were by thy side.

^"^ Thus in those days Greece was glad of her true
children ; then even in the camp did modesty flourish.
But thou^ impious one^ couldst not forego the joys of
even one night^ couldst not abide alone for even one
day. Nay^ more^ ye twain laughed loud over the
wine-cup^ and perchance spake evil words of me.
And this man whom thou seekest is even he that first
left thee of old. God grant thee joy enslaved by such
a man I

2^ Is this the end of the vows I made for thy safety^
when the waves of Styx had all but whelmed thy head,
and round about thy bed we^ thy friends^ stood and
wept ? Where then was this lover of thine^ O God,
or what cared he ?

29 What wouldst thou do were I a soldier^ kept
far hence in distant Ind, or if my bark were moored
in the western ocean ? But 'tis easy for you to
contrive false tales and deceits. This art alone has
woman ne'er failed to learn. Not so swiftly do the
Syrtes change before the veering gale^ nor the
leaves tremble before the wintry South Wind^ but
swifter far is phghted faith forgot in a woman's
anger, be the cause grave or light.

89

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER 11

nunc^ quoniam ista tibi placuit sententia^ cedam :

tela, precor^ pueri^ promite acuta magis,
figite certantes atque hanc mihi solvite vitam !

sanguis erit vobis maxima palma meus. 40

sidera sunt testes et matutina pruina

et furtim misero ianua aperta mihi_,
te nihil in vita nobis acceptius umquam :

nunc quoque eris^ quamvis sic inimica mihi,
nec domina ulla meo ponet vestigia lecto :

solus ero_, quoniam non Hcet esse tuum.
atque utinam^ si forte pios eduximus annos^

ille vir in medio fiat amore lapis ! ^

• • • • •

non ob regna magis diris cecidere sub armis

Thebani media non sine matre duces : 50

quam^ mihi si media Hceat pugnare puella^
mortem ego non fugiam morte subire tua.

X

Sed tempus lustrare aliis Hehcona choreis^
et campum Haemonio iam dare tempus equo.

iam libet et fortes memorare ad proeUa turmas
et Romana mei dicere castra ducis.

quod si deficiant vires^ audacia certe

laus erit : in magnis et voluisse sat est.

^ Some lines have clcarly heen lost at this point^ and I there-
fore mark a gap ivith Lachmann. Housman ivould insert VIII.

90

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

^' But now^ since thou hast chosen this for thy path^
I will yield. Bring forth, ye loves, yet sharper arrows^
and vying with one another pierce my heart and let
the vital spirit free. Great glory shall my life-blood
bring ye ! The stars are witness and the morning
frost, and the door that stealthily oped to let me in^
that there ne'er was aught in Ufe more dear to my
heart than thou ; and thus rU love thee still, though
thou art so unkind. No mistress ever shall come
into my bed ; alone will I Hve, since thine I may not
be, And oh, if perchance my life hath been spent
in true service of the gods^ may thy mate in the mid-
course of passion become a stone.

^^ In no more deadly strife did the Theban chief-
tains fight and fall to win a throne^ while in their
midst their mother strove to part them ; nor from
such death would I shrink, not though Cynthia strove
to part us^ if only so thou also mightest die.

X

BuT now 'tis time with other measures to range the
slopes of Helicon ; 'tis time to launch the Haemonian
steed o'er the open plain ; now would I sing of hosts
brave in battle and tell of my chieftain's Roman
camp. But should strength fail me, yet my daring
shall win me fame : in mighty enterprises enough
even to have willed success. Let early youth sing

91

SEXTl PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

aetas prima canat Veneres_, extrema tumultus :

bella eanam^ quando scripta puella mea est.
nunc volo subducto gravior procedere vultu^

nunc aliam citharam me mea Musa docet. 10

surge^ anima ; ex humili iam carmine sumite vires^

Pierides : magni nunc erit oris opus.
iam negat Euphrates equitem post terga tueri

Parthorum et Crassos se tenuisse dolet :
India quin/ Auguste^ tuo dat coUa triumpho,

et domus intactae te tremit Arabiae ;
et si qua extremis tellus se subtrahit oris,

sentiat illa tuas postmodo capta manus.
haec ego castra sequar ; vates tua castra canendo

magnus ero : servent hunc mihi fata diem ! 20
ut caput in magnis ubi non est tangere signis^

ponitur hac imos ante corona pedes,
sic nos nunc^ inopes laudis conscendere carmen,

pauperibus sacris viHa tura damus.
nondum etiam Ascraeos norunt mea carmina fontes^

sed modo Permessi flumine lavit Amor.

XI

ScRiBANT de te alii vel sis ignota licebit :
laudet^ qui sterili semina ponit humo.

omnia, crede mihi^ tecum uno munera lecto
auferet extremi funeris atra dies ;

1 quin Beroaldus : quis NF.

92

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

tlie charms of love^ life^s later prime the storm of
war : war will I sing, now that I have set forth all
my mistress' charms. Now would I go my way with
grave frown stamped on serious brow ; my Muse
iiow bids me strike another lyre. Awake, my soul !
Ye Pierid maids, leave these humble strains and
take a stronger tone ; the work that waits you needs
a mighty voice.

^^ Now does Euphrates deny that the Parthian
aims his backward shaft, and grieves that ever he
cut short the return of the Crassi. Nay, even India^
Augustus^ bows her neck to grace thy triumph^ and
the house of virgin Arabia trembles before thee ; and
if there be any land withdrawn upon earth's furthest
rim^ captured hereafter let it feel thy mighty hand.

i^ This be the camp I follow. Great will I be
among singers by singing of thy wars. Let destiny
keep that glorious day in store for me.

^^ As when we cannot reach the head of some tall
statue, our garland is laid thus humbly before its
feet^ so now^ too weak to climb to the heights of thy
glory's song, with lowly rite we give thee the incense
of the poor. Not yet have my songs come to know
the founts of Ascra ; Love has but dipped them in
Permessus' stream.^

XI

Let others write of thee ; or be thou all unknown.
Let him praise thee that will sow his harvest in a
barren soil : all thy endowments^ beheve me^ the
last dark hour of funeral shall consume with thee on

1 I.e., '*I have not attempted epic, Lut only erotic verse."
The key to the passage is found in Verg. Ed. vi. 64, where
Gallus' call to write epic is symbolised by his summons from
Permessus to receive the pipe of Hesiod of Ascra.

93

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

et tua transibit contemnens ossa viator,
nec dicet '^ Cinis hic docta puella fuit."

XII

QvicvMQVE ille fuit^ puerum qui pinxit Amorem^

nonne putas miras hunc habuisse manus ?
is primum vidit sine sensu vivere amantes,

et levibus curis magna perire bona.
idem non frustra ventosas addidit alas,

fecit et humano corde volare deum :
sciHcet alterna quoniam iactamur in unda^

nostraque non ulUs permanet aura locis.
et merito hamatis manus est armata sagittis^

et pharetra ex umero Gnosia utroque iacet : 10
ante ferit quoniam^ tuti quam cernimus hostem^

nec quisquam ex illo vulnere sanus abit.
in me tela manent, manet et pueriHs imago :

sed certe pennas perdidit ille suas ;
evolat ei nostro quoniam de pectore nusquam^

assiduusque meo sanguine bella gerit.
quid tibi iucundum est siccis habitare medullis }

si pudor est^ alio traice duella tua ! ^
intactos isto satius temptare veneno :

non ego, sed tenuis vapulat umbra mea. 20

quam si perdideris_, quis erit qui taUa cantet^

(haec mea Musa levis gloria magna tua est)^
qui caput et digitos et lumina nigra puellae^

et canat ut soleant molHter ire pedes }

1 pudor V : puer NF, duella Lijpsius : puella NF, tua r :
tuo NF.

94^

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

the selfsame bier_, and the traveller shall spurn thine
ashes as he passes hy, nor ever say : ^^ This dust w^as
once a learned maid."

XII

Whoe'er he was first painted Love in Hkeness of a
boy^ think'st thou not his hands had wondrous skill ?
He first saw that there is no wisdom in the lives of
lovers, and that mighty blessings are lost through
petty cares. He too with good reason gave him
windy wings^ and made him flit about the hearts of
men; for of a truth we are ever tossed upon a
shifting sea^ and our breeze abides never in the same
quarter. Rightly too is Love's hand armed with
barbed arrows^ and the Cnossian quiver hangs from
his shoulders twain ; for he strikes e'er from our
fancied safety we may see the foe, nor does any go
scatheless from the wound he deals.

^^ In me his darts stick fast, for me he still wears
the form of a boy ; but of a truth he has lost his
wings, for nowhither, alas ! flies he forth from my
bosom^ and tireless he wages war within my blood.

^'^ What delight hast thou to dwell in this withered
heart of mine ? If thou hast aught of shame^ else-
where transfer thy warfare. Better far to assail those
that have never felt the power of thy venomed shaft.
'Tis not I^ but my wasted shadow, thou smitest : yet,
if thou destroy me utterly, where wilt thou find one
to chant such strains as these ? (Slight though my
Muse be^ yet 'tis thy great renown.) Where wilt
thou find one to sing the face, the hands, the dark
eyes of my beloved, and how soft her footsteps
fall ?

95

SEXTl PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

XIII

NoN tot Achaemeniis armatur Erythra^ sagittis^

spicula quot nostro pectore fixit Amor.
hic me tam graciles vetuit contemnere Musas,

iussit et Ascraeum sic habitare nemus,
non ut Pieriae quercus mea verba sequantur^

aut possim Ismaria ducere valle feras^
sed magis ut nostro stupefiat Cynthia versu :

tunc ego sim Inachio notior arte Lino.
non ego sum formae tantum mirator honestae^

nec si qua illustres femina iactat avos : 10

me iuvet in gremio doctae legisse puellae^

auribus et puris scripta probasse mea.
haec ubi contigerint^ populi confusa valeto

fabula : nam domina iudice tutus ero.
quae si forte bonas ad pacem verterit aures^

possum inimicitias tunc ego ferre lovis.

XIIIa

QvANDOcvMQVE igitur nostros mors claudet ocellos

accipe quae serves funeris acta mei.
nec mea tunc longa spatietur imagine pompa^

nec tuba sit fati vana querela mei ; 20

nec mihi tunc fulcro sternatur lectus eburno^

nec sit in Attalico mors mea nixa toro.

1 Erythra Housman : Etrusca NF,

96

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

XIII

NoT with so many Persian shafts is P].rythra armed
as the darts that Love hath planted in my breast.
'Twas he forbade me to despise the trivial Muse and
commanded me to dwell in the grove of Ascra ; not
in such wise that the Pierian oaks should follow my
words^ or that I should lead the wild beasts after me
down Ismarus' vale^ but rather that Cynthia should
marvel at my verse. Thus should I win more fame
than Inachian Linus.

^ I marvel not only at comehness of form, nor if
a woman boasts glorious ancestry. Be it rather my
joy to have read my verse as I lay in the arms of a
learned maid and to have pleased her pure ears with
what I write, When such bHss hath fallen to my lot^
farewell the confused talk of the people ; I will rest
secure in the judgment of my mistress. If only she
chance to turn her thoughts toward peace and hear
me kindly, though Jove be angry^ I can bear his
wrath.

XIIIa

Wherefore^ Cynthia, when at last death shall seal
my eyes, hear thou the order of my funeral. For me
let no procession walk with long array of masks^
let no trumpet make vain waiHng for my end. Let
no last bed on posts of ivory be strewn for me^ let not
my dead body He on a couch of cloth-of-gold ; no

G 97

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

desit odoriferis ordo mihi lancibus^ adsint

plebei parvae funeris exsequiae.
sat mea sit magno/ si tres sint pompa libelli,

quos ego Persephonae maxima dona feram.
tu vero nudum pectus lacerata sequeris^

nec fueris nomen lassa vocare meum^
osculaque in gelidis pones suprema labellis,

cum dabitur Syrio munere plenus onyx. 30

deinde, ubi suppositus cinerem me fecerit ardor,

accipiat Manes parvula testa meos^
et sit in exiguo laurus super addita busto^

quae tegat exstincti funeris umbra locum^
et duo sint versus : qvi nvnc iacet horrida pvlvis,

VNIVS HIC QVONDAM SERVVS AMORIS ERAT.

nec minus haec nostri notescet fama sepulcri,

quam fuerant Phthii busta cruenta viri.
tu quoque si quando venies ad fata^ memento^

hoc iter ad lapides cana veni memores. 40

interea cave sis nos aspernata sepultos :

non nihil ad verum conscia terra sapit.
atque utinam primis animam me ponere cunis

iussisset quaevis de Tribus una Soror !
nam quo tam dubiae servetur spiritus horae ?

Nestoris est visus post tria saecla cinis :
cui si tam longae ^ minuisset fata senectae

Gallicus ^ Iliacis miles in aggeribus^

1 magno PJLillimore : magna NF.

2 cui si tam longae Livineius : quis tam longaevae NF.

3 Gallicus NF^ prohahhj corrupt : bellicus Behot : Ilius
Lachmann.

98

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

line of attendants witli sweet-scented platters forme^
only the hunible obseqiiies that mark a poor man's
death.

^^ Costly enough shall be my funeral train if three
little books go with me to the grave^ that I may bear
them to Persephone as my most precious offering.
And thou shalt follow^ thy breast all bare and torn^
nor shalt thou weary of calling upon my namc^ but
shalt imprint the last kiss upon my clay-cold lips,
when the casket of onyx with its gift of Syrian nard
is bestowed upon me. Then wlien the fire beneath
hath burned me to an ash^ let a tiny earthen urn
receive my ghost^ and over my little tomb let a laurel
be planted to o'ershade the spot^ where the fire of
death hath ceased to burn ; and thereon be these
two verses : he that now lies naught but unlovely

DUST^ ONCE SERVED ONE LOVE AND ONE LOVE ONLY.

^^ So shall the fame of my sepulchre be blazoned
abroad no less than the bloody tomb of the Phthian
hero. And whene'er thou too shalt come to thy
death^ do thou come gray-haired by the old path to
the stones that guard my memory. Meanwhile see
thou despise me not in my tomb. Not all uncon-
scious and witless of the truth are the ashes of man.

^^ And ah ! would that any one of the three Sisters
had ordained that I should die^ while yet I lay in the
cradle. For to what end is man's breath kept whole
in him^ breath that any moment may cease to be ?
Not till three generations of men had past away
were Nestor's ashes seen: yet had some Phrygian
warrior from the ramparts of Troy cut short the long-
drawn doom of his old age^ he ne'er had seen the body

99

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II
non ille Antilochi vidisset corpus humari^

diceret aut ^^ O mors, cur mihi sera venis ? " 50
tu tamen amisso non numquam flebis amico :

fas est praeteritos semper amare viros.
testis^ qui niveum quondam percussit Adonem

venantem Idalio vertice durus aper ;
illis formosus ^ iacuisse paludibus^ illuc

diceris effusa tu^ Venus^ isse coma.
sed frustra mutos revocabis^ Cynthia^ Manes :

nam mea qui poterunt ossa minuta loqui ?

XIV

NoN ita Dardanio gavisus Atrida triumpho est,

cum caderent magnae Laomedontis opes ;
nec sic errore exacto laetatus Vlixes^

cum tetigit carae litora Dulichiae ;
nec sic Electra^ salvum cum aspexit Oresten^

cuius falsa tenens fleverat ossa soror ;
nec sic incolumem Minois Thesea vidit,

Daedalium lino cum duce rexit iter ;
quanta ego praeterita collegi gaudia nocte :

immori:alis ero^ si altera talis erit. 10

at dum demissis supplex cervicibus ibam^

dicebar sicco vilior esse lacu.
nec mihi iam fastus opponere quaerit iniquos^

nec mihi ploranti lenta sedere potest.

1 formosus Postgatc : formosiim NF.

100

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

of A iitilochus laid in earth^ nor cried aloiid : ^^ O death !
why tarriest thou so late e'er thou come to me ? '*

^^ Yet thou^ when thoii hast lost thy friend, wilt
sometimes weep for him ; undying love is the due
of the loved and lost. Witness the cruel boar that
struck snow-white Adonis as he hunted on the
Idahan peak. There in the marsh, 'tis said, he lay
in his beauty ; thither^ 'tis said^ thou wentest^ Venus,
thy tresses unbound. But in vain^ Cynthia^ shalt thou
recall my voiceless shade to life ; for what answer shall
my crumbled bones have strength to make ?

XIV

NoT so did Atrides rejoice in his triumph over
Troy^ when the vast wealth of Laomedon fell in
ruin ; not so glad was Ulysses^ when^ his wanderings
o'er^ he reached the shore of his beloved Dulichia ;
not so happy Electra_, when she saw Orestes safe and
sound, o'er whose feigned ashes ^ she had wept^
clasping them to her heart ; not with such joy did
the daughter of Minos behold Theseus come forth
unscathed^ Avhen the guiding thread led him through
the Daedahan maze. All their gladness was naught,
compared with the joys that were mine last night.
Come such another night_, and I shall be immortal !
( Yet when I went my way a suppUant with drooping
head she spoke of me as more worthless than a pool
run dry.) No more does she meet me with cruel
disdain^ no more can she sit unmoved at the voice
of my complaint.

1 A refereuce to the Electra of Sophocles, where Orestes
returns home under a false name bearing an urn supposed to
contain his ashes.

101

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

atque utinam non tam sero mihi nota fuisset

condicio ! cineri nunc medicina datur.
ante pedes caecis lucebat semita nobis :

scilicet insano nemo in amore videt.
hoc sensi prodesse magis : contemnite^ amantes !

sic hodie veniet^ si qua negavit heri. 20

pulsabant alii frustra dominamque vocabant :

mecum habuit positum lenta puella caput.
haec mihi devictis potior victoria Parthis^

haec spolia^ haec reges, haec mihi currus erunt.
magna ego dona tua figam^ Cytherea^ columna^

taleque sub nostro nomine carmen erit :

HAS PONO ANTE TVAS TIBI^ DIVA^ PROPERTIVS AEDES
EXVVIAS^ TOTA NOCTE RECEPTVS AMANS.

nunc ad te, mea lux^ veniet mea litore navis

servata. an mediis sidat onusta vadis ? 30

quod si forte aliqua nobis mutabere culpa^
vestibulum iaceam mortuus ante tuum !

XV

O ME felicem ! o nox mihi candida ! et o tu

lectule deliciis facte beate meis !
quam multa apposita narramus verba lucerna^

quantaque sublato lumine rixa fuit !
nam modo nudatis mecum est luctata papillis^

interdum tunica duxit operta moram.
illa meos somno lassos patefecit ocellos

ore suo et dixit '^ Sicine^ lente^ iaces }''

102

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

^^ And would that her terms of peace had not been
made known to me so late ! To dust and ashes now
this healing is given. The way shone clear before
my feet ; but men love-maddened one and all are
bhnd.

^^ This I have found to be the sovereign cure :
lovers, disdain your loves ! So^ if she have refused
you yesterday, she will come to your arms to-day.
Others in vain beat at my mistress' door and called
her by name ; but unmoved she laid her head upon
my breast. Dearer to me this victory than the
conquest of Parthia : be these my spoils_, my captive
kings^ my triumphal car. Rich offerings^ Cytherea,
will 1 fix on the pillars of thy shrine^ and such shall
be the verse beneath my name : these spoils^ o

GODDESS^ I PROPERTIUS HANG BEFORE THY SHRINE ; FOR
ONE WHOLE NIGHT LONG MY MISTRESS TOOK ME TO HER

HEART. Now, Cynthia, shall my bark come safe home
to thee — or is it doomed to sink with all its wares
iri shoal-w^ater ? ^ Nay^ if thou change toward me
through any f^iult of mine^ may I lie dead before thy
threshold !

XV

How happy is my lot ! O night that was not dark
for me ! and thou beloved couch blessed by my
dehght ! How many sweet words we interchanged
while the lamp was by^ and how we strove together
when the Hght was gone ! For now she struggled
with me with breasts uncovered, now^ veiHng herself
in her tunic checked my advance. With a kiss she
unsealed mine eyes wxighed down w4th slumber and
said : ^^ Dost thou lie thus^ thou sluggard .^ " How

1 I.c, in siglit of shore.

103

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

quam vario amplexu mutamus bracchia ! quantum

oscula sunt labris nostra morata tuis ! 10

non iuvat in caeco Venerem corrumpere motu :

si nescis^ oculi sunt in amore duces.
ipse Paris nuda fertur periisse Lacaena^

cum Menelaeo surgeret e thalamo ; ^;?

nudus et Endymion Phoebi cepisse sororem

dicitur et nudae concubuisse deae.
quod si pertendens animo vestita cubaris/

scissa veste meas experiere manus :
quin etiam^ si me ulterius provexerit ira^

ostendes matri bracchia laesa tuae. 20

necdum inclinatae prohibent te ludere mammae :

viderit haec^ si quam iam peperisse pudet.
dum nos fata sinunt^ oculos satiemus amore :

nox tibi longa venit^ nec reditura dies.
atque utinam haerentes sic nos vincire catena

velles^ ut numquam solveret ulla dies !
exemplo vinctae tibi sint in amore columbae^

masculus et totum femina coniugium.
erratj qui finem vesani quaerit amoris :

verus amor nulkmi novit habere modum. 30

terra prius falso partu dehidet arantes.

et citius nigros Sol agitabit equos^
fluminaque ad caput incipient revocare Hquores,

aridus et sicco gurgite piscis erit^
quam possim nostros aho transferre dolores :

huius ero vivuS; mortuus huius ero.

1 cubaris Muretus : cubares 0»
104

r%tff'

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

oft we shifted our arms and varied oiir embrace ; how
long my kisses lingered on thy lips !

^i There is no joy in spoiling love's deUghts by
sightless motion : know^ if thou knowest it not^ that
in love the eyes are guides. Paris himself is said to
have been undone by love when he saw the Spartan
naked^ as she rose from the couch of Menelaus.
Naked was Endymion when he impassioned Phoebus'
sister, and naked they say he lay with the naked
goddess.

^■^ But if thou hardenest thine heart and wilt lie
clothed^ thou shalt have thy raiment rent and feel
the violence of my hands. Nay more^ if anger carry
me further yet^ thou shalt show thy mother how
thine arms are bruised. Not yet do drooping breasts
forbid thee to make merry ; that be her care that hath
borne a child and counts it sham^e. While the Fates
grant it^ let us gkit our eyes with love : the long
night hasteneth on for thee that knows no dawning.
And oh ! that thou wouldst bind us in this embrace
with such a chain that never the day might come to
break its power ! Be doves thine example : they are
yoked together in love_, male and female made one
by passion. He errs that seeks to set a term to the
frenzy of love ; true love hath no bound. Sooner
will earth mock the ploughman by bearing fruit out
of season^ and the Sun-god drive the steeds of nightj
rivers begin to recall their waters to their fount, the
deep dry up and leave its fish athirst, than I shall
be able to transfer my love to another; hers will I
be in life and hers in death.

105

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

quod mihi si tecum tales concedere noctes

illa velit^ vitae longus et annus erit.
si dabit haec multas^ fiam immortalis in ilUs :

nocte una quivis vel deus esse potest. 40

qualem si cuncti cuperent decurrere vitam

et pressi multo membra iacere mero,
non ferrum crudele neque esset bellica navis,

nec nostra Actiacum verteret ossa mare^
nec totiens propriis circum oppugnata triumphis

lassa foret crines solvere Roma suos.
haec certe merito poterunt laudare minores :

laeserunt nullos pocula nostra deos.
tu modo^ dum lucet^ fructum ne desere vitae !

omnia si dederis oscula^ pauca dabis. 50

ac veluti folia arentes liquere corollas,

quae passim calathis strata natare vides^
sic nobis, qui nunc magnum speramus amantes,

forsitan includet craslina fata dies.

XVI

pRAETOR ab Illyricis venit modo^ Cynthia^ terris^

maxima praeda tibi^ maxima cura mihi.
non potuit saxo vitam posuisse Cerauno ?

a, Neptune^ tibi qualia dona darem !
nunc sine me plena fiunt convivia mensa^

nunc sine me tota ianua nocte patet.
quare^ si sapis^ oblatas ne desere messes

et stolidum pleno veliere carpe pecus ;
106

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

^^ But if slie be willing again to grant me such
nights as last^ one year will be long hfe for me. If
she give me many^ they will make me immortal ;
one such night might make any man a god !

^i Ah ! if all men desired to pass their Hfe as I,
and He with Hmbs weighed down by deep draughts
of wine^ nor cruel steel would there be nor ships of
war^ nor would our bones be tossed in the deep of
Actium ; nor would Rome^ so oft beleaguered with
triumphs o*er her own kin^ be weary of tearing her
hair for grief. This at least shaU those that come
after be able to praise in us : our wine-cups never
outraged any god.

^^ Cynthia^ do thoii only while the light is yet
with thee forsake not the joy of Hfe ! Give me aU
thy kisses^ yet shaU tliey be aU too few ; and as
leaves drop from withered wreaths and thou mayst
see them bestrew the cups and float therein^ so we
that lOve and whose hopes are high perchance shaU
find to-morrow close our doom.

XVI

Of late, Cynthia^ a praetor came from the land of
lUyria^ to thee the hugest plunder^ to me the hugest
care. Could he not have lost his Hfe by the Ceraunian
rocks ? Ah^ Neptune^ what gifts would I liave given
thee !

^ Now feasts are spread on laden tables^ and I am
not there ! Now all night long thydoor stands open^
but not for me ! Wherefore, if thou art wise^ neglect
not the harvest offered thee and pluck thy stoHd beast,
while yet his fleece is whole ! Then when his gifts are

107

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

deinde^ ubi consumpto restabit munere pauper^

dic alias iterum naviget Illyrias ! 10

Cynthia non sequitur fasces nec curat honores^

semper amatorum ponderat una sinus.
at tu nunc nostro, Venus, o succurre dolori^

rumpat ut assiduis membra libidinibus !
ergo muneribus quivis mercatur amorem ?

luppiter, indigna merce puella perit.
semper in Oceanum mittit me quaerere gemmas^

et iubet ex ipsa tollere dona Tyro.
atque utinam Romae nemo esset dives, et ipse

straminea posset dux habitare casa ! 20

numquam venales essent ad munus amicae^

atque una fieret cana puella domo.
numquam septenas noctes seiuncta cubares/

candida tam foedo bracchia fusa viro,
non quia peccarim (testor te), sed quia vulgo

formosis levitas semper amica fuit.
barbarus exclusis ^ agitat vestigia lumbis —

et subito fehx nunc mea regna tenet !
aspice quid donis Eriphyla invenit amaris^

arserit et quantis nupta Creusa maUs. 30

nullane sedabit nostros iniuria fletus ?

an dolor hic vitiis nescit abesse tuis ? ^
tot iam abiere dies, cum me nec cura theatri

nec tetigit Campi_, nec mea mensa iuvat.
at pudeat certe, pudeat ! — nisi forte^ quod aiunt^

turpis amor surdis auribus esse solet.

^ niimquam . . . cubares Itali : non quia . . . cubaris NF.
2 oxcussis r. 3 tuis r : suis NF.

108

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

spent and he left poor^ bid him set sail again to fresh
Illyrias.

i^ Cynthia follows not the rods of office_, cares
naught for honours ; her lovers' purse she ever
weighs as none other can. But do thou, Venus^ aid
me in my grief ; let his insatiate lusts break all his
strength .

^^ So then shall any stranger purchase her love with
gifts ? Jove ! 'tis an unworthy thing that such traffic
should have power to corrupt the heart of woman.
Ever she sends me to the marge of ocean to seek
her gems^ and bids me bring gifts from Tyre itself.
Would that no men at Rome were wealthy and that
our lord and master himself dwelt in a thatched ^
cottage. Never then would one's mistress sell
herself for a gift, but girls would grow grey in the
house of one only lover. Never wouldst thou he far
from me for seven nights long, thy white arms lapped
about so foul a lover ; nor dost thou thus because I
have sinned — to that I call thee to testify — but
because the fair are ever faithless.

^^ A barbarian shut out from bliss ^ stamps at thy
door^ and lo ! of a sudden a blessing falls on him and
now he rules where I once reigned supreme.

^^ See what bitter woe gifts brought to Eriphyla^
and in what agony the bride Creusa burned ! Will all
the w^rong thou dost me ne'er assuage my tears ? or
must this grief of mine attend thy sins for ever ? So
many days have past away since the theatre and the
Campus lost all charms for me, and my table ceased
to please. Yet truly shame, yea^ shame should set
me free ! But^perchance^ as men say^ dishonourable

1 An allusion to tlie so-called casa Homuli, preserved on the
Palatine. Cp. IV. i. 9. 2 If excussis . . . hcmbis be read,

translate " worn out by his lusts."

109

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

cerne ducem_, modo qui fremitu complevit inani

Actia damnatis aequora militibus :
hunc infamis amor versis dare terga carinis

iussit et extremo quaerere in orbe fugam. 40

Caesaris haec virtus et gloria Caesaris haec est :

illa^ qua vicit^ condidit arma manu.
sed quascumque tibi vestes_, quoscumque smaragdos^

quosve dedit flavo lumine chrysolithos^
haec videam rapidas in vanum ferre procellas :

quae tibi terra^ velim_, quae tibi fiat aqua.
non semper placidus periuros ridet amantes

luppiter et surda neglegit aure preces.
vidistis toto sonitus percurrere caelo,

fulminaque aetheria desiluisse domo : 50

non haec Pleiades faciunt neque aquosus Orion^,

nec sic de nihilo fulminis ira cadit ;
periuras tunc ille solet punire puellas^

deceptus quoniam flevit et ipse deus.
quare ne tibi sit tanti Sidonia vestis^

ut timeas^ quotiens nubilus Auster erit.

XVII

Mentiri noctem_, promissis ducere amantem_,
hoc erit infectas sanguine habere manus !

horum ego sum vates, quotiens desertus amaras
explevi noctes^ fractus utroque toro.

110

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

love is ever deaf. Behold the chief, who of late
filled the waves of Actium with the fruitless groaning
of the soldiers he dragged down to death ! 'Twas
infamous love bade him wheel his ships and turn his
back to the foe and seek flight in the utmost bounds of
earth. ' This is Caesar's claim to virtue, this Caesars
claim to glory ; the hand that conquered sheathed
the sword in peace.

^^ But^ oh that I may see all his gifts_, the fine
raiment^ the emeralds and the yellow-gleaming
chrysolite^ borne by swift storms into empty space ;
may they become vile earth or water in thy hands !
Not always does Jove calmly laugh at lovers' perjuries
and turn a deaf ear to prayer. Thou hast perceived
the thunderclap run through all the sky^ and the
levin bolt leap from its airy home. 'Tis neither the
Pleiades nor dark Orion that brings these things
to pass ; 'tis not for nothing that the wrath of the
lightning falls. 'Tis then that Jove is wont to punish
faithless girls, since he also once wept for a woman's
treachery. Wherefore count not thy Sidonian
raiment worth the terror thou must feel whene^er
the South Wind roUs up clouds of storm.

XVII

To make a false tryst for a night^ to beguile a lover
with promises, why, 'tis to have his blood upon thy
hands. These sorrows do I sing, as oft as I pass
lonely nights of bitterness_, anguished to think of
how thou liest^ and how I.

111

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

vel tu Tantalea moveare ad flumina sorte^

ut liquor arenti fallat ab ore sitim ;
vel tu Sisyphios licet admirere labores,

difficile ut toto monte volutet onus ;
durius in terris niliil est quod vivat amante^

nec^ modo si sapias, quod minus esse velis. 10

quem modo felicem invidia admirante ferebant^

nunc decimo admittor vix ego quoque die.
nunc iacere e duro corpus iuvat_, impia^ saxo,

SLimere et in nostras trita venena manus ;
nec licet in triviis sicca requiescere luna^

aut per rimosas mittere verba fores.
quod quamvis ita sit^ dominam mutare cavebo :

tum flebit^ cum in me senserit esse fidem.

XVIII 1

AssiDVAE multis odium peperere querelae :

frangitur in tacito femina saepe viro.
si quid vidisti^ semper vidisse negato !

aut si quid doluit forte^ dolere nega !

XVIIIa

QviD mea si canis aetas canesceret annis^
et faceret scissas languida ruga genas ?

at non Tithoni spernens Aurora senectam
desertum Eoa passa iacere domo est :

1 / liave given these verses, ivhich, as Rossherg pointed out^ are
alien to their context^ the ranJc of a separate elegy.

112

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

^ Be thou smitten with compassion for the fate of
Tantalus at the waterside^ when thou seest how the
water sinks from his parclied mouth and mocks his
thirst ; or marvel at the toil of Sisyphus^ how he
rolls liis stubborn burden up all the mountain slope ;
yet know that there is naught on earth more suffering
than a lover^ nor aught a wise man would less wish
to be. I who was once accounted happy, I whom
men envied and admired, I now have entry scarce
every tenth day. Now gladly, impious maid^ would
I cast myself from some hard rock or take distilled
poison into my hands. No more can I lie in the
streets beneath the cold^ clear moon nor cry my words
through the chinks of thy door !

^^ Yet though these things be so, I will have a care
not to change my mistress ; then will she weep^ when
she feels that I am true.

XVIII

CoNTiNUED complainings beget disgust in many a
heart ; oft doth a silent lover bend a woman^s will.
If aught thou hast espied, deny thou sawest aught,
or if aught perchance hath pained thee deny the
pain !

XVIIIa

What if my youthful prime were white with the
white hair of eld^ and drooping wrinkles furrowed
my cheeks ?

'^ Tithonus was old, yet Aurora despised him not,
nor suffered him to lie lonely in the chambers of the

H IIS

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

illum saepe suis decedens fovit in undis

quam prius adiunctos sedula lavit equos ; 10

illum ad vicinos cum amplexa quiesceret Indos,

maturos iterum est questa redire dies;
illa deos currum conscendens dixit iniquos^

invitum et terris praestitit officium.
cui maiora senis Tithoni gaudia vivi,

quam gravis amisso Memnone luctus erat.
cum sene non puduit talem dormire puellam

et canae totiens oscula ferre comae.
at tu etiam iuvenem odisti me, perfida_, cum sis

ipsa anus haud longa curva futura die. 20

quin ego deminuo curam, quod saepe Cupido

huic malus esse solet, cui bonus ante fuit.

XVIIIb 1

NvNc etiam infectos demens imitare Britannos^

ludis et externo tincta nitore caput ^
ut natura dedit^ sic omnis recta figura est :

turpis Romano Belgicus ore color.
illi sub terris fiant mala multa puellae^

quae mentita suas vertit inepta comas !
deme : mihi certe poteris formosa videri ;

mi formosa satis^ si modo saepe venis. 30

aii si caeruleo quaedam sua tempora fuco

tinxerit_5 idcirco caerula forma bona est ^
cum tibi nec frater nec sit tibi filius ullus^

frater ego et tibi sim filius unus ego.

1 Sc\paratc(i from the ^receding hy Kuinoel,
114

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

East. Oft as she departed did slie cai ess him amid
the waves where she hath her home^ or ever turning
to her task she washed her yoked steeds^ and when
nigh Ind she laid her down to rest in his embrace she
made moan that day returned too soon. As she
cHmbed her car she cried_, ^^ High heaven is im-
kind," and ofFered unwilling service to the world.
Deeper her joy^ while old Tithonus lived^ than iieavy
her grief when Memnon perished. So fair a maid as
she had no shame to sleep beside an aged man, nor
to heap kisses on his hoary locks.

^^ But thou, faithless^ hatest me for all my youth^
though thyself at no far distant day shalt be a
stooping crone. Still my care grows less when I
remember that Cupid oft frowns on him to whom
of old he was so kind.

XVIIIb

EvEN now^ mad girl^ dost ape the painted Briton
and wanton with foreign dyes upon thy cheek ?
Beauty is ever best as nature made it ; foul shows
the Belgian rouge on Roman cheeks. May many
an ill befall the maid in hell, that in her folly dyes
her hair with lying hue. Away with these things !
I at least shall find thee fair ; fair enough art thou
to me if only thou visit me often. If one stain her
brows with azure dye^ does that make azured beauty
fair }

2^ Thou hast no brother nor any son, wherefore
let me and me alone be to thee at once both
brother and son. Let thine own bed ever keep thee

115

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II
ipse tuus semper tibi sit custodia lectus,,

nec nimis ornata fronte sedere velis.
credam ego narranti^ noli committere^ famae :

et terram rumor transilit et maria.

XIX

Etsi me invito discedis^ Cyntliia^ Roma^

laetor quod sine me devia rura colis.
nullus erit castis iuvenis corruptor in agris^

qui te blanditiis non sinat esse probam ;
nulla neque ante tuas orietur rixa fenestras^

nec tibi clamatae somnus amarus erit.
sola eris et solos spectabis^ Cynthia^ montes

et pecus et fines pauperis agricolae.
illic te nulli poterunt corrumpere ludi^

fanaque peccatis plurima causa tuis. ' 10

illic assidue tauros spectabis arantes^

et vitem docta ponere falce comas ;
atque ibi rara feres inculto tura sacello^

haedus ubi agrestes corruet ante focos ;
protinus et nuda choreas imitabere sura ;

omnia ab externo sint modo tuta viro.
ipse ego venabor : iam nunc me sacra Dianae

suscipere et Veneri ponere vota iuvat.
incipiam captare feras et reddere pinu

cornua et audaces ipse monere canes ; 20

non tamen ut vastos ausim temptare leones

aut celer agrestes comminus ire sues.
116

THR RLEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

safe from scandal^ nor sit thou with face too much
adorned. I shall believe tales that rumour tells
of thee ; therefore sin not ; scandal o'erleaps the
bounds of land and sea.

XIX

Though^ Cynthia^ 'tis against my will that thou
departest from Rome^ glad am I that 'tis in the
country far from paths of man thou dwellest with-
out me. In those chaste fields thou shalt find no
seductive youth whose flatteries shall not permit
thee to be honest^ nor shall any brawl arise before
thy windows^ nor shali thy slumber be made bitter
by cries upon thy name. Lone shalt thou dwell and
on lone mountains gaze^ on flocks and the lands of
poor farmers. There will no games have power to
corrupt thee, no temples, most frequent cause of all
thy sins ; there shalt thou behold the tireless oxen
plough, and the vine lay aside her foliage at the
sickle's skilful touch^ and there shalt thou bear
a scanty offering of incense to some rude shrine_,
where the kid shall fall before a rustic altar ; then
bare-legged shalt thou imitate the country dance^ if
only there be no danger from the espial of some
town-bred man.

i^ I myself will hunt ; now straightway 'tis my
joy to perform sacrifice to Diana^ my vows to Venus
laid aside. I will begin to snare wild beasts, to nail
trophies of horns to the pine-tree, and with mine
own voice urge on the bold hounds : yet would I
never dare to assail the lion fell^ or with speedy
foot go face the wild boar of the field. Daring

117

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

haec igitur mihi sit lepores audaeia molles

excipere et stricto figere avem calamo^
qua formosa suo Clitumiius flumina luco

integit^ et niveos abluit unda boves.
tu quotiens aliquid conabere^ vita^ memento

venturum paucis me tibi Luciferis.
sic me nec solae poterunt avertere silvae^

nec vaga muscosis flumina fusa iugis^ 30

quin ego in assidua mutem tua nomina Hngua :

absenti nemo non nocuisse velit.

XX

QviD fles abducta gravius Briseide ? quid fles

anxia captiva tristius Andromacha ?
quidve mea de fraude deos^ insana^ fatigas ?

quid quereris nostram sic cecidisse fidem ?
non tam nocturna volucris funesta querela

Attica Cecropiis obstrepit in foliis^
nec tantum Niobe bis sex ad busta superba ^

solUcito lacrimas defluit a Sipylo.
me licet aeratis astringant bracchia nodis,

sint mea vel Danaes condita membra domo^ 10
in te ego et aeratas rumpam^ mea vita^ catenas^

ferratam Danaes transiUamque domum.
de te quodcumque ad surdas mihi dicitur aures :

tu modo ne dubita de gravitate mea.
ossa tibi iuro per matris et ossa parentis

(si fallo, cinis heu sit mihi uterque gravis !)

1 superba Beroaldus : superbe NF»
118

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

enough for me to catch the timid hare^ or pierce
birds with arrows from the quiver^ where Clitiimnus
shrouds his fair streams in his own beloved grove^
and with his waters laves the snow-white kine.

27 Do thou^ my love^ oft as thou meditatest aught,
remember that I shall be with thee in a few more
dawns. So as thou rememberest this^ neither the
lonely woods nor the wandering streams upon the
mossy hills can stay me from repeating thy name
with tireless tongue ; for one and all are ready to
wrong an absent lover.

XX

Why weepst thou more bitterly than Briseis torn
from Achilles' side ? Why weepst with anxious eyes
more sadly than captive Andromache ? Or why, mad
girl^ weariest thou the ears of the gods with complaint
of my perfidy ? Why moanest thou that my loyalty
to thee has sunk so low ? Not so shrilly does the
mourning bird of Attica make her moan embowered
in Cecropian leafage^ not so does proud Niobe
by twice six tombs stream tears down sorrowing
Sipylus.

^ Though my arms were bound with gyves of
bronze^ though my Hmbs were immured in Danae*s
tower^ yet for thy sake^ my Hfe^ would l break bonds
of brass and leap o'er the iron walls of Danae's tower.
My ears are deaf to all men say of thee ; only do thou
likewise doubt not my steadfastness. By my mother's^
by my father's bones I swear — if I he, may either
ghost take vengeance on me ! — that I will abide true

119

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

me tibi ad extremas mansurum^ vita^ tenebras :

ambos una fides auferet,, una dies.
quod si nec nomen nec me tua forma teneret^

posset servritium mite tenere tuum. 20

septima iam plenae deducitur orbita lunae,

cum de me et de te compita nulla tacent :
interea nobis non numquam ^ ianua mollis,

non numquam^ lecti copia facta tui.
nec mihi muneribus nox ulla est empta beatis :

quidquid eram, hoc animi gratia magna tui.
cum te tam multi peterent^ tu me una petisti :

possum ego naturae non meminisse tuae ?
tum me vel tragicae vexetis Erinyes^ et me

inferno damnes^ Aeace_, iudicio, 30

atque inter Tityi volucres mea poena vagetur^

tumque ego Sisyphio saxa labore geram !
nec tu supplicibus me sis venerata tabellis :

ultima talis erit quae mea prima fides.
hoc mihi perpetuo ius est^ quod solus amator

nec cito desisto nec temere incipio.

XXI

A QVANTVM de me Panthi tibi pagina finxit_,
tantum illi Pantho ne sit amica Venus !

sed tibi iam videor Dodona verior augur.
uxorem ille tuus pulcher amator habet '

1 non numquam F : nou unquam N.
120

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

to thee^ my life, until darkness close my day ; one
selfsame love. one selfsame hour_, shall sweep us both
away.

i^ But if neither the glory of thy name nor thy
beauty kept me true^ yet would the mildness of thy
yoke do so. The seventh full moon has spun its course
since every street corner hath been speaking of me
and thee^ and all this time not seldom hath thy door
been kind^ not seldom have I been admitted to thy
bed. Yet not a night have I bought with sumptuous
gifts ; whate'er I have been in thine eyes, I owe to
thy goodwill ; great is my debt. Many sought thee^
but thou hast sought me only ; can I forget the
kindness of thy nature ? If I do, may ye, Furies of
tragedy^ plague me^ and thou, Aeacus, pass on me the *
doom of the underworld. May my penalty be one
of Tityus' ranging vultures, and may I carry rocks
with labour worthy Sisyphus.

^^ But do thou beseech me no more with suppliant
tablets : my loyalty shall be at the close what it was
when it began. Herein forever am I justified: alone
of lovers I neither rashly begin nor rashly end my
love.

XXI

Ah, deep as the falsehoods Panthus has told thee of
me be Venus' displeasure against Panthus. Yet, to-
day thou deemst me a prophet truer than Dodona's
shrine. That goodly lover of thine hath taken him

li21

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

tot noctes periere ? nihil piidet ? aspice^ cantat

liber : tu nimiiim credula^ sola iaces.
et nunc inter eos tu sermo es, te ille superbus

dicit se invito saepe fuisse domi.
dispeream^ si quicquam aliud quam gloria de te

quaeritur : has laudes ille maritus habet. 10

Colchida sic hospes quondam decepit lason :

eiecta est (tenuit^ namque Creusa) domo.
sic a Dulichio iuvene est elusa Calypso :

vidit amatorem pandere vela suum.
a nimium faciles aurem praebere puellae,

discite desertae non temere esse bonae !
huic quoque^ qui restet^^ iam pridem quaeritur alter :

experta in primo^ stulta^ cavere potes.
nos quocumque loco, nos omni tempore tecum

sive aegra pariter sive valente sumus. 20

XXII

Scis here mi multas pariter placuisse puellas ;

scis mihi^ Demophoon^ multa venire mala.
nulla meis frustra lustrantur compita plantis ;

o nimis exitio nata theatra meo^
sive aliquis moUi diducit candida gestu

bracchia^ seu varios incinit ore modos !
interea nostri quaerunt sibi vulnus ocelli^

candida non tecto pectore si qua sedet^

1 tenuit r : tenuis NFL»

2 restet Phillimore : restat NFL,

122

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

a wife ! Have so many nights been spent in vain ?
Hast thou no shame ? See^ he is free and sings for
joy ; thou once too credulous now liest lonely ; and
now the twain speak amongst themselves of thee ;
he scornfully says that thou oft didst visit his house
against his will. May I perish if he aims at aught
else than to triumph for his conquest of thee : such
is the praise that he the husband wins.

^^ So of old the stranger Jason deceived the maid
of Colchis : she was cast forth from her home, for
Creusa held her room. So was Calypso tricked by
the Dulichian youth : she saw her lover spread his
sails for flight. Ye maids^ o'erprone to lend an ear
to lovers^ learn^ left forlorn, not rashly to be kind.

^^ Yet for days thou hast been seeking another, who
shall be faithful ! Fool, the lesson thou hadst from
the first should have taught thee caution ! My heart^
where'er I be, whate'er the hour^ in sickness and in
health^ is with thee still.

XXII

Thou knowst that yesterday many a beauty pleased
my impartial eyes ; thou knowst^ Demophoon^ that
thence springs many an ill for me, No street is
there that my feet range in vain. Alas ! the
theatre was made too oft to be my doom, whether
some beauty spreads out white arms with volup-
tuous motion^ or pours from lier lips a varied strain
of song. And all the while mine eyes seek their
own hurt, if some fair one sits with breast unveiled,

123

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

sive vagi crines puris in frontibus errant^,

Indica quos meclio vertice gemma tenet. 10

quae si forte aliquid vultu mihi dura negarat^

frigida de tota fronte cadebat aqua.
quaeris^ Demophoon^ cur sim tam mollis in omnis ?

quod quaeris^ ^' quare " non habet ullus amor.
cur aliquis sacris laniat sua bracchia cultris

et Phrygis insanos caeditur ad numeros }
uni cuique dedit vitium natura creato :

mi fortuna aliquid semper amare dedit.
me licet et Thamyrae cantoris fata sequantur,

numquam ad formosas^ invide_, caecus ero. 20

sed tibi si exiles videor tenuatus in artus,

falleris : haud umquam est culta labore Venus.
percontere licet : saepe est experta puella

officium tota nocte valere meum.
luppiter Alcmenae geminas requieverat Arctos^

et caelum noctu bis sine rege fuit ;
nec tamen idcirco languens ad fulmina venit :

nullus amor vires eripit ipse suas.
quid, cum e complexu Briseidos iret Achilles ?

num ^ fugere minus Thessala tela Phryges ? 30
quid^ ferus Andromachae lecto cum surgeret Hector ?

bella Mycenaeae non timuere rates ?
ille vel hic, classes poterant vel perdere muros :

hic ego Pelides^ hic ferus Hector ego.
aspice uti caelo modo sol modo luna ministret :

sic etiam nobis una puella parum est.

1 num FL : uon N.
124

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

or if her wandering locks stray o'er a snowy brow,
clasped at the crown with an Indian gem. And
if perchance by her look she said me nay in
aught, cold streams of sweat streamed from all my
brow.

^^ Dost thou ask, Demophoon^ why my heart is so
tender to one and all ? Love knows not the mean-
ing of thy question ^^Why?'* Why do some gash
their arms with sacred knives^ and cut their limbs
to the sound of the Phrygian pipe ? To each at
birth nature allotted a vice ; to me fortune allotted
the doom that I should ever be in love. Though
the fate of Thamyras the singer come upon me^
never, my grudging friend^ will I be blind to
beauty.

^^ But if to thee my limbs seem shrunk and thin^
thou errest ; it has ne'er been a hardship to me to
serve Venus. 'Tis a lawful question ; often a girl has
found my passion could outlast the hours of night.
Jove for Alcmena's sake made the stars of the Bear
to slumber two nights long, and heaven twice was
kingless through the dark ; yet he was not therefore
faint when he returned to the thunderbolt. Never
doth love exhaust its own strength. What befell
when Achilles came from Briseis' embrace ? Did the
Phrygians fly the less from the ThessaHan's shafts ?
When fierce Hector rose from Andromache's bed^
did not Mycenae's fleet tremble at the battle ?
Either hero could overthrow or ships or walls; I
will be Achilles^ or fierce Hector in the strife of
love.

^^ See how 'tis now the moon and now the sun that
serve the sky ! Even so for me one love will not

125

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER ll

altera me cupidis teneat foveatque lacertis^

altera si quando non sinit esse locum ;
aut si forte irata meo sit facta ministro,

ut sciat esse aliam^ quae velit esse mea ! 40

nam melius duo defendunt retinacula navim,

tutius et geminos anxia mater alit,

XXIIaI

AvT si es dura^ nega : sin es non dura^ venito !

quid iuvat at ^ nullo ponere verba loco ?
hic unus dolor est ex omnibus acer amanti^

speranti subito si qua venire negat.
quanta illum toto versant suspiria lecto^

cum recipi^ quem non noverit ille, necat ! ^
et rursus puerum quaerendo audita fatigat^

quem^ quae * scire timet^ quaerere fata iubet. .50

XXIII

Cvi fuit indocti fugienda haec ^ semita vulgi,
ipsa petita lacu nunc mihi dulcis aqua est.

ingenuus quisquam alterius dat munera servo^,
ut promissa suae verba ferat dominae ?

et quaerit totiens ''^ Quaenam nunc porticus illam
integit ?" et ^^ Campo quo movet illa pedes } "

1 Scparated from the j)reccding hy Renaissaiicc scholars.

2 at Baehrens : et NFL.

3 cum V : cur NFL. quem 5" ; quae NFL. necat Heinsius :
vetat NFL. ^: quem quae F: quae quoque L : om. N,

5 liaec r : et NLF.

126

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

suffice. If one receive me not, let another hold me
and cherish me in passionate embrace ; or if she be
angered with my service of her^ let her know that
there is another who will gladly be mine. For a
ship is safer when two cables hold it^ and an anxious
mother, if she rear twins^ has less to dread.

XXIIa

Say ^^No!'* if thou art unkind ; or, if kind thou
art^ then come ! But why take delight in waste of
random words ? This grief alone of all doth rack
the lover's heart^ if his mistress fails his hopes and
comes not to the tryst. What sighs shake his frame
as he tosses o'er all his couch^ when the thought that
now some unknown lover is admitted torments him
even to death ! Again and again he wearies his slave
by asking, what he has heard already^ and bidding
him seek news oi" the fate he dreads to learn.

XXIII

I THAT once thought fit to shun this path trod by
the vulgar herd, now find pleasure even in a draught
from the common tank. Will any free-born man give
money to another's slave to bring him the promised
message of his mistress^ and ask forever^ ^^ What
shady colonnade now shields her from the sun ? "
or ^' Whither wend her footsteps on the Campus
Martius ? "

127

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

deinde^ ubi pertuleris^ quos dicit fama labores

Herculis^ ut scribat ^^Muneris ecquid habes?"
cernere uti possis vultum custodis amari^

captus et immunda saepe latere casa^ 10

quam care semel in toto nox vertitur anno !

a pereant^ si quos ianua clausa iuvat !
contra^ reiecto quae libera vadit amictu^

custodum et nullo saepta timore^ placet ?
cui saepe immundo Sacra conteritur Via socco^

nec sinit esse moram^ si quis adire velit;
difFeret haec numquam^ nec poscet garrula^ quod te

astrictus ploret saepe dedisse pater^
nec dicet ^^ Timeo, propera iam surgere^ quaeso :

infelix^ hodie vir mihi rure venit." 20

et quas Euphrates et quas mihi misit Orontes,

me iuerint : noHm furta pudica tori ;
libertas quoniam nulli iam restat amanti :

si quis liber erit, nullus ^ amare volet.

XXIV

'' Tv loqueris^ cum sis ^ iam noto fabula Hbro

et tua sit toto Cynthia lecta foro ? "
cui non his verbis aspergat tempora sudor ?

aut pudor ingenuus^ aut reticendus amor ?
quod si tam faciHs spiraret Cynthia nobis^

non ego nequitiae dicerer esse caput^

1 si quis . . . nullus Foster : nullus . . . si quis NFL,

2 sis r: sit NFL.
128

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

'^ And then^ when thou hast endured all the Her-
culean labours whereof fame tells^ to receive a letter
saying^ ^^ Hast thou any present for me ? " or to wdn
the privilege of facing a scowling guardian^ or oft lie
hid a prisoner in some foul hovel^ how costly is the
night of joy that comes but once in the whole
year ! Perish the lovers that prefer tlie secrecy of
closed doors !

i^ On the other hand^ she that walks at large^ her
cloak cast back from her head^ and gladdens the eye,
hedged in by no threatening guardian^ she who treads
the Sacred Way in loose shoes besmirched with mire^
and makes no delay if any accost her^ she will never
put thee off, nor ask in chattering voice for that
which thy niggard father will complain he has given
so oft. She will not say : ^^ I am afraid : haste thee^
rise^ I pray thee : unhappy man^ 'tis to-day my husband
returns from the country." Let the girls^ that Eu-
phrates and Orontes have sent for my delight^ be all
my joy : I hate those shamefaced thefts of love.
Since no lover hath any freedom left him^ no man
that would be free will seek to love.

XXIV

^' DosT thou talk thus^ when thy book has become
famous and made thee the talk of all the town, and
thy Cynthia is read in all the forum ? " Whose brow,
that heard such words as these^ would not be bathed
in sweat^ whether for honest modesty or for the
shameful secret of his love ? And yet if Cynthia
smiled on me^ as once she smiled, I should not now
be called the crown of wantonness ; my name would

129

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

nec sic per totam infamis traducerer urbem,
urerer et quamvis non bene/ verba darem.

quare ne tibi sit mirum me quaerere viles :

parcius infamant : num tibi causa levis ? 10

2

• • • • •

et modo pavonis caudae flabella superbae

et manibus dura frigus habere pila,
et cupit iratum talos me poscere eburnos^

quaeque nitent Sacra vilia dona Via.
a peream, si me ista movent dispendia, sed^ me

fallaci dominae iam pudet esse iocum !

XXIVa 4

Hoc erat in primis quod me gaudere iubebas ?

tam te formosam non pudet esse levem ?
una aut altera nox nondum est in amore peracta,

et dicor lecto iam gravis esse tuo. 20

me modo laudabas et carmina nostra legebas :

ille tuus pennas tam cito vertit amor ?
contendat mecum ingenio, contendat et arte,

in primis una discat amare domo :
si libitum tibi erit, Lernaeas pugnet ad hydras

et tibi ab Hesperio mala dracone ferat^
taetra venena libens et naufragus ebibat undas^

et numquam pro te deneget esse miser :

1 urerer 5" : ureret NFL. non bene ffousman : nomine NFL

2 Some verses have clearly heen lost here. 3 sed S~ : si NFL
4 17-52 separated hy Scaliger,

130

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

not now be draggled in dishonour through all the
town^ and though my heart still burned with no
seemly fire^ still would I cheat the world.

^ Wherefore wonder not that now I seek common
women ; they are more sparing in slander. Seems
that a trifling reason in your eyes ? . . . [And they
are so expensive. Cynthia now asks me for some costly
jewel f\ now demands a fan made from some proud
peacock's tail^ and would cool her hands by holding
a hard ball of crystal ; she angers me by bidding me
demand ivory dice for her^ and such worthless gifts
as glitter in the Sacred Way. And yet^ confound
me if I grudge the expense ! But now I am ashamed
to be the laughing-stock of my faithless mistress !

XXIVa

Cynthia, was this the hope thou didst bid me
cherish when our love began } Art not thou
ashamed^ being so fair, to be so fickle } Not yet
have we spent one or two nights in love^ and
already thou tellest me l am irksome to thy couch.
But now thou didst praise me and didst read my
songs ; does thy love so soon turn his wings to fly
elsewhere ?

^^ Let thy lover strive against me in wit and poetic
skill^ and first of all things let him learn to confine
his love to one house only; if it be thy pleasure^
let him fight with the Lernaean hydras^ and fetch
thee apples from the guardianship of the Hesperian
dragon ; let him drink gladly of foul poisons, or^
shipwrecked^ the sea wave, and never refuse to be
wretched for thy sake (ah that thou wouldst prove

131

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

(quos utinam in nobis, vita^ experiare labores !)

iam tibi de timidis iste protervus erit, 30

qui nunc se in tumidum iactando venit honorem :

discidium vobis proximus annus erit.
at me non aetas mutabit tota Sibyllae^

non labor Alcidae^ non niger ille dies.
tu mea compones et dices '^ Ossa, Properti^

haec tua sunt : eheu tu mihi certus eras_,
certus eras eheu^ quamvis nec sanguine avito

nobilis et quamvis non ita ^ dives eras.''
nil ego non patiar^ numquam me iniuria mutat :

ferre ego formosam nullum onus esse puto. 40

credo ego non paucos ista periisse figura^

credo ego sed multos non habuisse fidem.
parvo dilexit spatio Minoida Theseus^

PhylHda Demophoon^ hospes uterque malus.
iam tibi lasonia nota est Medea carina

et modo servato ^ sola reHcta viro.
dura est quae multis simulatum fingit amorem,

et se phis uni si qua parare potest.
noH nobiHbus, noH conferre beatis :

vix venit^ extremo qui legat ossa die. 50

hi tibi nos erimus : sed tu potius precor ut me

demissis plangas pectora nuda comis.

^ non ita Pontanus : navita NFL.
2 servato N : om. FL.

132

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

me, my beloved^ with such tasks as these !)^ and soon
thou shalt find him a trembling coward that is now
so forward^ that by boasts of prowess has attained
his proud place of honour in thy heart ; next year
shall see you parted. But a SibyVs whole lifetime
shall never alter my love^ no^ nor Alcides' toil^ nor
the dark hour of death. Thou shalt compose my
ashes, and shalt say : '^ These are thy bones^ Pro-
pertius ; ah ! but thou wast true to me I Ah ! thou
wast true^ though sprung from no noble ancestry nor
so rich as that other." I will suffer all things for
thee ; thy wrongs ne'er change my love ; to endure
one so fair is to me no burden.

^^ Many^ I trow^ have been smitten by thy fair
form ; but many, I trow, have broken troth with thee.
It was but for a brief space that Theseus loved the
daughter of Minos, that Demophoon adored Phyllis_,
a faithless pair of guests. Thou knowest well Medea
borne on Jason's bark, and then left forlorn by the
husband she but lately saved.

^' Cruel is she tliat feigns false love for many, and
hasthe heart to deck herself for many eyes. Com-
pare me not witli the noble and wealthy : scarce one
of them shall come to gather up thine ashes at the
end of all. I shall perform that duty for them ; but
rather I pray that thou mayest bewail me with bared
bosom and thine hair unbound.

133

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

XXV

Vnica nata meo pulcherrima cura dolori^

excludit quoniam sors mea " saepe veni/'
ista meis fiet notissima forma libellis^

Calve_, tua venia^ pace^ Catulle^ tua.
miles depositis annosus secubat armis,

grandaevique negant ducere aratra boves,
putris et in vacua requiescit navis harena^

et vetus in templo belUca parma vacat :
at me ab amore tuo deducet nulla senectus^

sive ego Tithonus sive ego Nestor ero. 1 0

nonne fuit satius duro servire tyranno

et gemere in tauro^ saeve Perille^ tuo ?
Gorgonis et satius fuit obdurescere vultu^

Caucasias etiam si pateremur aves.
sed tamen obsistam. teritur robigine mucro

ferreus et parvo saepe liquore silex :
at nullo dominae teritur sub limine amor^ qui

restat et immerita sustinet aure minas.
ultro contemptus rogat^ et peccasse fatetur

laesus^ et invitis ipse redit pedibus. 20

tu quoque^ qui pleno fastus assumis amore^

credule^ nulla diu femina pondus habet.
an quisquam in mediis persolvit vota procelHs^

cum saepe in portu fracta carina natet ?
aut prius infecto deposcit praemia cursu^

septima quam metam triverit ante rota ?
134

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

XXV

0 THou beyond all women born to be^ most fair^ the
burden of mine anguish^ since mine ill fate debars
me f rom the words '^^ Come and come often ! ' ' my
books shall make thy beauty known above all other ;
only do thou^ Calvus^ and thou^ Catullus^ grant me
that this may be.

^ The soldier bowed with years sleeps no longer
by the weapons he hath laid aside ; oxen grown
old refuse to draw the plough ; the crumbHng ship
rests on the empty sands^ and idle on the temple
wall hangs the warrior's ancient shield. But never
shall old age sunder me from love of thee^ though

1 be old as Tithonus or as Nestor old. Were it
not better to be a cruel tyrant's slave and groan
within thy bull^ savage Perillus ? Better were it to
turn to stone before the Gorgon's gaze or to endure
the vultures of Caucasus. Yet will I persist. The
blade of steel is eaten by rust^ and drops of water
oft wear down the flint. But the threshold of no
mistress can wear down that love that abides firm
and endures to listen to threats it has never deserved.
Nay^ the lover even answers disdain with supplica-
tionSj and wrong with the confession that 'twas him-
self that sinned^ and oft returns he with reluctant
feet.

2^ Thou too^ credulous iover^ that waxest proud
because thy love is at the full^ know that no woman
has sohd worth for long. Does any man perform
his vows in mid-tempest^ when many a ship swims
shattered even in port? Or does any man demand
the prize ere first for the seventh time the wheel hath

135

SEXTl PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

mendaces ludunt flatus in amore secundi :

si qua venit sero_, magna ruina venit.
tu tamen interea, quamvis te diligat illa^

in tacito cohibe gaudia clausa sinu. 80

namque in amore suo semper sua maxima cuique

nescio quo pacto verba nocere solent.
quamvis te persaepe vocet_, semel ire memento :

invidiam quod habet, non solet esse diu.
at si saecla forent antiquis grata puellis^

essem ego quod nunc tu : tempore vincor ego.
non tamen ista meos mutabunt saecula mores :

unus quisque sua noverit ire via.
at^ vos qui officia in multos revocatis amores,

quantum sic cruciat lumina vestra ^ dolor ! 40

vidistis pleno teneram candore puellam_,

vidistis fusco^ ducit ^ uterque color ;
vidistis quandam Argivam prodente ^ figura^

vidistis nostras^ utraque forma rapit.
illaque plebeio vel sit sandycis amictu :

haec atque illa mali vulneris una via est.
cum satis una tuis insomnia portet ocellis^

una sit et cuivis femina multa mala.

XXVI

ViDi te in somnis fracta^ mea vita_, carina
lonio lassas ducere rore manus^

1 vestra r : nostra NFL. 2 ducit N : dulcis F : lucus L.
3 Argivam Baehrens : argiva NFL. prodente NFL : prodire N.

136

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

grazed the goal ? Deceitful is the play of the prosper-
ing gales of love ; the passion that comes late in time
brings with it mighty ruin. Yet do thou meanwhile_,
though she love thee^ keep thy joys close within thy
silent breast. For in love 'tis ever his own words
that^ how I know not, do the lover greatest hurt.
Though oft she summon thee^ have a care to go
but once : that which is envied endures but for a
brief space.

^^ But should the times return that pleased the
maids of old^ I should be what thou now art ; 'tis this
vile age has conquered me. Yet these ill times shall
never alter my heart : let each man have the wit to
go his own way.

^® But ye that bid a man serve many loves^ if thus
ye live, what agony torments your eyes ! Ye see a
tender maid of w^hitest hue, or again another of darker
brilHance : either hue attracts the eye. Ye see a girl
whose form betrays the Greek^ or^ again^ our Roman
beauties ; either beauty allures. Though she be
clothed in plebeian garb or in robes of scarlet^ 'tis
by one and the same path that either cruel wound
is dealt. Since one love can keep thine eyes from
sleep long time enough^ one woman were a host of
ills for any man.

XXVI

In my dreams I saw thee^ light of my life^ ship-
wrecked strike out with weary hands through the
lonian waves. I saw thee confess all thy falsehood

137

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

et quaecumque in me fueras mentita fateri^

nec iam umore graves tollere posse comas^
qualem purpureis agitatam fluctibus Hellen^

aurea quam molli tergore vexit ovis.
quam timui^ ne forte tuum mare nomen haberet,

atque tua labens navita fleret aqua !
quae tum ego Neptuno^ quae tum cum Castore
fratri^

quaeque tibi excepi^, iam dea^ Leucothoe ! 1 0

at tu vix primas extollens gurgite pahnas

saepe meum nomen iam peritura vocas.
quod si forte tuos vidisset Glaucus ocellos^

esses lonii facta puella maris^
et tibi ob invidiam Nereides increpitarent^

candida Nesaee, caerula Cymothoe.
sed tibi subsidio delphinum currere vidi^

qui^ puto^ Arioniam vexerat ante lyram.
iamque ego conabar summo me mittere saxo^

cum mihi discussit taha visa metus. 20

XXVIa 1

NvNC admirentur quod tam mihi pulchra puella
serviat et tota dicar in urbe potens !

non^ si Cambysae redeant et flumina Croesi^
dicat '^ De nostro surge^ poeta^ toro."

1 Separated hy Burmann.
138

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

toward me and sink^ unable to lift thine hair weighed
down with brine^ Hke Helle tossed upon the purple
waves^ whom once the sheep of gold bore on its soft
back. How I feared, lest perchance that sea should
take thy name^ and the mariner might weep for thee
as he sailed thy waves ! What vows to Neptune did
I then make_, what vows to Castor and his brother
and thee^ Leucothoe, once mortal^ now a goddess !
But thou, scarce raising thy finger-tips over the sur-
face of the deep_, didst oft^ as one that soon must
perish^ call upon my name.

^^ But if perchance Glaucus had espied thine eyes^
thou hadst become a maid of the lonian sea^ and the
Nereids would have chidden thee for envy, white
Nesaee and azure Cymothoe. But I saw a dolphin
hasten to thine aid^ the same methinks that once
bore Arion's lyre. I was even then striving to cast
myself from the rocky height when terror dispelled
the vision.

XXVIa

Now let men wonder that so fair a maid is my slave,
and that all the city tells of my power ! Though a
Cambyses should return and the rivers of Croesus^
never would she say^ '' Rise^ poet^ from my bed." For

139

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

nam mea cum recitat^ dicit se odisse beatos :

carmina tam sancte nulla puella colit.
multum in amore fides^ multum constantia prodest :

qui dare multa potest^ multa et amare potest.
seu mare per longum mea cogitet ire puella_,

hanc sequar, et fidos una aget aura duos ; 30

unum litus erit sopitis unaque tecto

arbor^ et ex una saepe bibemus aqua ;
et tabula una duos poterit componere amantis^

prora cubile mihi seu mihi puppis erit.
omnia perpetiar : saevus licet urgeat Eurus ;

velaque in incertum frigidus Auster agat ;
quicumque et venti miserum vexastis Ylixen^

et Danaum Euboico litore mille rates ;
et qui movistis duo litora^ cum ratis Argo

dux erat ignoto missa columba mari. 40

illa meis tantum non umquam desit ocellis^

incendat navem luppiter ipse licet.
certe isdem nudi pariter iactabimur oris :

me licet unda ferat, te modo terra tegat.
sed non Neptunus tanto crudelis amori^

Neptunus fratri par in amore lovi.
testis Amymone_, latices dum ferret^ in arvis ^

compressa^ et Lernae pulsa tridente palus.
iam deus amplexu votum persolvit^ at illi

aurea divinas urna profudit aquas. 50

crudelem et Borean rapta Orithyia negavit :

hic deus et terras et maria alta domat.

1 dum N : cum FL, arvis O : Argis ^, perhaps rightly.
140

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

when she repeats my verse^ she says that she hates
wealthy suitors ; no other maid does such reverent
honour unto song. Fidelity in love is of much avail^
of much avail is constancy ; he that can make many
a gift can have full many a love.

2^ Does my love think of sailing long leagues of
sea^ I will follow her. One breeze shall waft us on,
a faithful pair^ one shore shall give us rest when
we sink in slumber^ one tree overshadow us^ and oft
shall we drink from the selfsame spring. One plank
shall yield a couch to lovers twain^ whether my bed
be strewn by prow or stern. I will endure all things^
though the wild East Wind drive our bark and the
South's chill blast sweep our sails, whither we know
not ; though all ye winds should blow that once tor-
mented the hapless Ulysses and wrecked the thousand
ships of Greece on Euboea's shore^ and ye also that
parted the two shores, when the dove was sent to
Argus to guide his bark over an unknown sea. If
only she be never absent from my sight, let Jove
himself fire our ship ! For surely our naked corpses
will be cast together upon the same shore ; let the
wave sweep me away, if only thou find burial in
earth.

^^ But Neptune frowns not on love strong as ours ;
Neptune was Jove his brother's equal in the field of
love. Witness Amymone^ that in the meadows yielded
to his embrace^ that so she might find the fountain ;
witness Lerna's marsh smitten by the trident. Then
did the god redeem his promise at the price of his
embrace^ and straightway for her an urn of gold
poured forth a stream divine. Orithyia also denied
that Boreas^ the ravisher^ was cruel ; this god tames
both earth and the deeps of ocean. BeUeve me, Scylla

141

SEXTI PROPERTl ELEGIARVM LIBER II
crede mihi^ nobis mitescet Scylla^ nec umquam

alternante vacans ^ vasta Charybdis aqua ;
ipsaque sidera erunt nuUis obscura tenebris,

purus et Orion_, purus et Haedus erit.
quid mihi si ponenda tuo sit corpore vita ?

exitus hic nobis non inhonestus erit.

XXVII

At vos incertam^ mortales^ funeris horam

quaeritis^ et qua sit mors aditura via ;
quaeritis et caelo^ Phoenicum inventa^ sereno^

quae sit stella homini commoda quaeque mala !
seu pedibus Parthos sequimur seu classe Britannos,

et maris et terrae caeca pericla viae.
rursus et obiectum fles tu caput esse tumultu ^

cum Mavors dubias miscet utrimque manus ;
praeterea domibus flammam domibusque ruinas^

neu subeant labris pocula nigra tuis. 10

solus amans novit^ quando periturus et a qua

morte^ neque hic Boreae flabra neque arma
timet.
iam Hcet et Stygia sedeat sub harundine remex^

cernat et infernae tristia vela ratis :
si modo clamantis revocaverit aura puellae,

concessum nulla lege redibit iter.

1 vacans Ayrmann : vorans NFL.

2 fles tu Housman : fletus N : flemus FL. caput NF : capiti
L, tumultu cod. 3Ius. Brit. 23766 : tumultum NFL.

142

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

will grow kind for us^ and wild Charybdis also^ that
ceases never from her ebb and flow. Nor shall any
darkness obscure the stars. Clear shall Orion be,
and clear the Kid. Nay, what if I should breathe
my last upon thy body ! No dishonour will be mine
in such an end as this.

XXVII

Yet do ye mortals inquire after the uncertain hour
of death^ and of the path by which your doom shall
draw anigh^ and in the unclouded heaven ye seek
by the art the Phoenicians found of old what star is
good^ what star is ill for man. Whether on foot we
foliow the flying Parthian or with our fleet attack
the Briton^ bUnd are the perils both by land and sea.
And again thou weepest that thy hfe is threatened
by the storm of war^ when Mars on this side and on
that mingles the wavering ranks ; thou dreadest also
fire for thy house and ruin^ and tremblest lest thou
put cups of dark poison to thy Hps. The lover only
knows when and by what death he shall perish^ and
fears nor weapons nor blasts of the North Wind. Yea^
even though he sit at the oar among the reeds of
Styx and gaze on the dismal sails of the boat of hell^
if the faint whisper of his mistress' voice cry out and
call him back from the dead^ he will return over that
road that the eternal ordinance hath sealed.

143

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

XXVIII

IvppiTER^ affectae tandem miserere puellae :

tam formosa tuum mortua crimen erit.
venit enim tempus^ quo torridus aestuat aer^

incipit et sicco fervere terra Cane.
sed non tam ardoris culpa est neque crimina caeli^

quam totiens sanctos non habuisse deos.
hoc perdit miseras^ hoc perdidit ante puellas :

quidquid iurarunt^ ventus et unda rapit.
num ^ sibi collatam doluit Venus ? ilJa peraeque

prae se formosis invidiosa dea est. 10

an contempta tibi lunonis templa Pelasgae }

Palladis aut oculos ausa negare bonos ?
semper^ formosae^ non nostis parcere verbis.

hoc tibi lingua nocens^ hoc tibi forma dedit.
sed tibi vexatae per multa pericula vitae

extremo venit molHor hora die.
lo versa caput primos mugiverat annos :

nunc dea^ quae Nili flumina vacca bibit.
Ino etiam prima terris aetate vagata est :

hanc miser implorat navita Leucothoen. 20

Andromede monstris fuerat devota marinis :

haec eadem Persei nobihs uxor erat.
CalHsto Arcadios erraverat ursa per agros :

haec nocturna suo sidere vela regit.
quod si forte tibi properarint fata quietem^

illa sepulturae fata beata tuae^

1 num FL : non N.
144

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

XXVIII

JupiTER^ at length have pity on my mistress^ stricken
sore ; the death of one so fair will be accounted to
thee for a crime. For t]ie season has come when
the scorching air seethes with heat and earth begins
to glow beneath the parching Dog-star. But 'tis not
so much the fault of the heat^ nor hath heaven so
much the blame for her illness^ as that so oft she
hath spurned the sanctity of the gods. This is it that
undoes hapless girls^ aye^ and hath undone many ;
wind and water sweep away their every oath.

^ Was Venus vexed that thou wast compared with
her .^ She is a jealous goddess to all ahke^ that vie
with her in loveliness. Or didst thou spurn the temple
of Pelasgian Juno^ or deny that Pallas' eyes were
fair } Ye beauties^ never have ye learned to spare
your words ; Cynthia^ thou owest this to thine offend-
ing tongue and to thy beauty. But anguished as thou
hast been through many a deadly peril^ at last hath
come an hour of greater ease. So lo wore a strange
guise and lowed all her earlier years ; but now she
is a goddess^ that once drank Nilus' waters in Hke-
ness of a cow. Ino also wandered o'er the earth in
her prime ; but now she is called Leucothoe^ and 'tis
on her the hapless sailor calls for aid. Andromeda
was doomed to the monsters of the deep, yet even
she became the far-famed wife of Perseus. Callisto
wandered as a bear over the fields of Arcadia ; now
with her own star's hght she guides the sails of
mariners through the dark.

^^ Yet if it chance that the Fates hasten dowai
on thee the eternal rest^ the Fates of funeral made

K 145

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

narrabis Semelae^ quo sit formosa periclo^

credet et illa_, suo docta puella malo ;
et tibi Maeonias omnes heroidas inter

primus erit nuUa non tribuente locus. 30

nunc, utcumque potes^ fato gere saucia morem :

et deus et durus vertitur ipse dies.
hoc tibi vel poterit coniunx ignoscere luno :

frangitur et luno, si qua puella perit.
^ deficiunt magico torti sub carmine rhombi,

et iacet exstincto laurus adusta foco ;
et iam Luna negat totiens descendere caelo^

nigraque funestum concinit omen avis.
una ratis fati nostros portabit amores

caerula ad infernos velificata lacus. 40

sed 2 non unius quaeso^ miserere duorum !

vivam^ si vivet : si cadet illa^ cadam.
pro quibus optatis sacro me carmine damno :

scribam ego '^ Per magnum est salva puella lovem" ;
ante tuosque pedes illa ipsa operata sedebit_,

narrabitque sedens longa pericla sua.

XXVIIIa3

Haec tua, Persephone^ maneat clementia, nec tu^
Persephonae coniunx, saevior esse velis.

sunt apud infernos tot milia formosarum :

pulchra sit in superis, si licet^ una locis ! 50

1 A new elegy in N/jl, no hreah in FL.

2 sed N : si FL.

3 Separated hy Lachraann.

146

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

blest for thee^ thou shalt tell Semele what dangers
beauty brings ; and she^ taught by her own misfor-
tune^ will beheve thee : and among all the Maeonian
heroines thou by consent of all shalt have the fore-
most place. Now as best thou may^ bear thyself
reverently towards destiny on thy couch of pain ;
heaven and the cruel hour of death aUke may change.
Even Juno^ the jealous wife, will forgive thee for
thy beauty ; even Juno is touched with pity for a
maiden's death.

^^ Now cease the wheels ^ whirled to the magic
chant^ the altar fire is dead and the laurel lies in ashes.
Now the moon refuses to descend so oft from heaven^
and the bird of night sings ominous of death. One
murky boat of destiny shall bear our loves together,
setting sail to the pools of Heli. But pity not one
only, I pray thee^ Jupiter ; pity the twain of us. If
she Hves, I will Uve ; if she dies, I too will die. Where-
fore if my prayer be granted I bind myself with this
solemn verse^ to write : the might of jove hath
SAVED MY MisTREss ; and she herself after she hath
sacrificed to thee will sit before thy feet, and seated
there will tell of the long perils she has passed.

XXVIIIa

Persephone, may thy mercy endure^nor mayestthou,
that hast Persephone for spouse, be over-cruel. There
are so many thousand beauties among the dead ; let
one fair one, if so it may be^ abide on earth. With

1 The rhombus is probably an instrument known as a " bull-
roarer," still nsed by savage tribes. It consists of a perforated
piece of wood attached to a string : when whirled round it
emits a loud booming sound.

147

SEXTI PROPERTI ELECxIARVM LIBER II

vobiscum est lope, vobiscum candida Tyro^

vobiscum Europe nec proba Pasiphae^
et quot Troia^ tulit vetus et quot Achaia formas^

et Phoebi et Priami diruta regna senis :
et quaecumque erat in numero Romana puella,

occidit : has omnes ignis avarus habet.
nec forma aeternum aut cuiquam est fortuna
perennis :

longius aut propius mors sua quemque manet.
tu quoniam es^ mea lux_, magno dimissa periclo^

munera Dianae debita redde choros^ 60

redde etiam excubias divae nunc, ante iuvencae ;

votivas noctes et mihi solve decem.

XXIX

Hesterna, mea lux^ cum potus nocte vagarer,

nec me servorum duceret ulla manus,
obvia nescio quot pueri mihi turba minuta

venerat (hos vetuit me numerare timor) ;
quorum ahi faculas_, alii retinere sagittas,

pars etiam visa est vincla parare mihi.
sed nudi fuerant. quorum lascivior unus^

'^^ Arripite hunc/' inquit^ ^^iam^ bene nostis eum :
hic erat, hunc mulier nobis irata locavit.^'

dixit, et in collo iani mihi nodus erat. 10

hic alter iubet in medium propellere, at alter,

'^ Intereat, qui nos non putat esse deos !

^ Troia NFL^ perhaps corrupt : Phthia Huschke.
2 iam N : nam FL,

X48

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

you is lope^ with you snowy Tyro^ with you Europe
and impious Pasiphae^ and all the beauties that
Troy and Achaea bore of old, Troy the fallen realm
of Phoebus and the old man Priam. And all the
fair^ that Rome may rank with these^ have perished :
all these the greedy pyre hath taken for its own.
Neither beauty nor fortune abideth everlastingly for
any ; sooner or later death awaiteth all.

^^ Since then^ light of mine eyes^ thou hast escaped
from mighty peril^ render Diana the dance thou owest
for offering ; and as is due^ keep vigil in honour of
her who^ once a heifer^ is now a goddess, and on my
behalf pay her ten nights of worship.

XXIX

Yesternight^ light of mine eyes^ when I wandered
heavy with wine and with never a servant's hand to
lead me home^ a crowd of tiny boys met me ; how
many I know not^ for fear forbade me count them.
Some carried Uttle torches and others arrows^ while
some seemed even to make ready fetters for me. Yet
naked were they all. • Then one that was more wanton
than the rest cried : ^' Seize him^ for ye know him w^ell
of old. This is he that the angry woman dehvered
to us." He spake^ and straightway a noose was about
my head. Another then bade them thrust me into
their midst^ while a third cried : ^' Perish the man that
deems us not divine I Whole hours hath she waited

149

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

haec te non meritum totas exspectat in horas :

at tu nescio quas quaeris, inepte, fores.
quae cum Sidoniae nocturna ligamina mitrae

solverit atque oculos moverit illa graves,
afflabunt tibi non Arabum de gramine odores^

sed quos ipse suis fecit Amor manibus.
parcite iam, frates^ iam certos spondet amores ;

et iam ad mandatam venimus ecce domum." 20
atque ita me in tectum duxerunt rursus amicae : ^

^^ I nunc et noctes disce manere domi."

XXIXa 2

Mane erat_, et volui^ si sola quiesceret illa,

visere : at in lecto Cynthia sola fuit.
obstipui : non illa mihi formosior umquam

visa, neque ostrina cum fuit in tunica^
ibat et hinc castae narratum somnia Vestae^

neu sibi neve mihi quae nocitura forent :
taUs visa mihi somno dimissa recenti.

heu quantum per se candida forma valet ! 30

^^ Quid ? ^ tu matutinus/' ait ^^ speculator amicae,

me similem vestris moribus esse putas }
non ego tam facihs : sat erit mihi cognitus unus,

vel tu vel si quis verior esse potest.
apparent non ulla toro vestigia presso^

signa volutantis ^ nec iacuisse duos.

1 in tectum duxerunt . . . amicae G. Fischer : in lecto
duxerunt-. . . amictu NFL. 2 Separated by Guyetus.

3 quid r : quod iVi^Z. 4 volutantis X ; voluntatis iVjP.

150

' THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

thee, thoufich Uttle thou deservest it, while thou. fool^
didst seek another's door. When she has loosened
the strings of her nightcap of Sidonian purple and
turns on thee her slumber-laden eyes^ then will sweet
odours breathe upon thee such as the herbs of Araby
ne'er gave^ but Love himself made with his own hands.
Spare him now^ brothers ; now he pledges that his love
shall be true : and lo ! we have come to the house
whither we were bidden." Thus did they lead me
back to my mistress' house. ^^ Go now/' they cried^
'' and learn to stay at home of nights/'

XXIXa

'TwAS morn and I wished to see if alone she took
her rest^ and behold Cynthia was in her bed alone.
I stood amazed ; for never seemed she to mine eyes
more fair^ not even when^ clad in purple tunic, she
went to lay her dreams before chaste Vesta, for fear
some ill might threaten herself and me. So seemed
she to me^ as she woke from her fresh slumber.
Ah^ how great is the power of beauty unadorned !
^^ What ! " quoth she^ ^' thou that spiest thus early on
thy mistress^ deemst thou that my ways are like to
thine } I am not so fickle : 'tis enough for me to
know one lover such as thee^ or one perchance of
truer love than thine. There are no signs of impress
on the couch^ the marks of lovers taking their delight^
no signs that two have lain therein. See ! from my

151

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

aspice ut in toto nullus mihi corpore surgat

spiritus admisso notus adulterio."
dixit_, et opposita propellens savia dextra

prosilit in laxa nixa pedem solea. 40

sic ego tam sancti custos retrudor ^ amoris :

ex illo felix npx ^ mihi nulla fuit.

XXX

NvNC tu_, dure^^ paras Phrygias nunc ire per undas 1 9

et petere Hyrcani Htora nauta * maris ? 20

[spargere et ^ alterna communis caede Penates 2 1

et ferre ad patrios praemia dira Lares .^] 22

quo fugis a demens ? nulla est fuga : tu licet usque 1

ad Tanain fugias^ usque sequetur Amor.
non si Pegaseo vecteris in aere dorso^

nec tibi si Persei moverit ala pedes ;
vel si te sectae rapiant talaribus aurae^

nil tibi Mercurii proderit alta via.
instat semper Amor supra caput^ instat amanti^,

et gravis ipse super libera colla sedet.
excubat ille acer custos et tollere numquam

te patietur humo lumina capta semel. 10

et iam si pecces^ deus exorabiHs iUe est^

si modo praesentes viderit esse preces.

1 custos 5": custode NL : custodis F. reirudor Postgate :
reludor JV: rector FL. 2 nox r : non JVFL.

3 dure cod. vet. Beroaldi : dura FL : non tamen immerito iV.

4 nauta Hertzberg : nota NFL.

6 spargere et N : spargereque FIj.

152 • -

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

bosom springs no deep-drawn breath, that^ as thou
knowest^ might tell thee that I had been untrue."
She spake^ and with her right hand resisted and
thrust away my kisses, and leapt forth from the bed,
loose sHppers on her feet. So was I rebuffed by her
that kept her love so pure ; since then no happy night
has e'er been mine.

XXX

Hard-hearted^ dost thou now make ready to cross the
Phrygian waves, and on shipboard seek the shores
of the Hyrcanian sea.'^ [to sprinkle our common
household gods with mutual slaughter and bring
dread prizes to the home of thy fathers .^] ^

^ Whither fliest thou_, mad heart ? There is no
escape. Fly as far as Tanais ; Love will hunt
thee down. Thou shalt not escape^ though thou be
borne aloft on the back of Pegasus, nor though the
pinions of Perseus wing thy feet. Or should the
cloven breezes sweep thee along on feathered
sandals, yet will the lofty path of Mercury avail
thee naught. Love swoops ever above thy head ;
Love swoops down upon the lover, and sits a heavy
burden on the neck that once was free. He is a
watcher that slumbers not nor sleeps, nor ever will
he suffer thee to raise thine eyes from ofF the
ground when once he has enslaved them; and yet
shouldst thou go astray^ he is a god whom prayers
may appease^ if he but see that they are prompt to

1 19, 20 placed before 1, 2 by Housman ; the same critic
marks 21, 22 as alien to the context, and suggests that they
should follow I. XXII. 8.

153

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

ista senes licet accusent convivia duri :

nos modo propositum^ vita^ teramus iter.
illorum antiquis onerantur legibus aures :

hic locus est in quo^ tibia docta^ sones,
quae non iure vado Maeandri iacta natasti,

turpia cum faceret Palladis ora tumor. 18

una contentum pudeat me vivere amica ? 23

hoc si crimen erit^ crimen Amoris erit :
mi nemo obiciat. Hbeat tibi, Cynthia^ mecum

rorida muscosis antra tenere iugis.
ilHc aspicies scopuHs haerere Sorores

et canere antiqui dulcia furta lovis,
ut Semela est combustus^ ut est deperditus lo^

denique ut ad Troiae tecta volarit avis ; 30

(quod si nemo exstat qui vicerit AHtis arma^

communis culpae cur reus unus agor .^) •

nec tu Virginibus reverentia moveris ora :

hic quoque non nescit quid sit amare chorus ;
si tamen Oeagri quaedam compressa figura

Bistoniis oHm rupibus accubuit.
hic ubi te ^ prima statuent in parte choreae^

et medius docta cuspide Bacchus erit,
tum capiti sacros patiar pendere corymbos :

nam sine te nostrum non valet ingenium. 40

1 te 5" : ine 0,

154

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

rise. Let stern old men denounce those revels of
love ; only let us, my life^ pursue our chosen path.
Their ears are burdened with the precepts of anti-
quity ; but this is the place where thou^ skilled pipe,
shouldst sound, thou that of old didst float alqng
Maeander's shallows^ where unjustly thou wast cast
when thou didst swell the cheeks of Pallas and mar
the fairness of her face.^

^^ Shall I feel shame to live content in the service
of one mistress ? If this be a crime^ to Love's door
shall the crime be laid ; let no one charge me there-
with ! And^ Cynthia^ be it thy joy to dwell with me in
dewy grottoes on the mossy hills. There shalt thou
see the Sisters cHnging to the crags^ while they chant
the sweet loves of Jove in olden time^ how he w^as
consumed with fire for Semele, how madly he loved
lo^ and then how in likeness of a bird he fiew to the
abodes of Troy. (But if none hath eer had strength
to o'ercome the might of the winged one, why am
I alone accused of the crime that all must share })
Nor shalt thou^ Cynthia^ grieve the demure faces of
the Holy Maids ; even their choir knows what it is to
love^ if it be true that for all their chastity a certain
Muse lay upon the rocks of Bistonia locked in the arms
of one that seemed Oeagrus. And there^ when they
shall place thee in the foremost rank of their dance^
and Bacchus stands in the midst with his wand of skill^
then will I suffer the holy ivy berries to hang about
my head ; for without thee my wit availeth naught.

1 Minerva first made a pipe of bone and played upon it ;
but, catching sight of her reflection in the Maeander, she per-
ceived that her cheeks puffed out to play disfigured her beauty,
and cast the pipe into the streara.

)5r>

SEXTl PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

XXXI 1

QvAERis^ cur veniam tibi tardior ? aurea Phoebi

Porticus a magno Caesare aperta fuit ;
tanta erat in speciem Poenis digesta columnis,

inter quas Danai femina turba senis. 4

tum medium claro surgebat marmore templum^ 9

et patria Phoebo carius Ortygia : 1 0

et duo Solis erant ^ supra fastigia currus ;

et valvae, Libyci nobile, dentis opus^
altera deiectos Parnasi vertice Gallos^

altera maerebat funera Tantalidos.
deinde inter matrem deus ipse interque sororem

Pythius in longa carmina veste sonat. l6

hic equidem Phoebo visus mihi pulchrior ipso 5

marmoreus tacita carmen hiare lyra : 6

atque aram circum steterant armenta Myronis^ 7

quattuor artificis, vivida signa^ boves.^ 8

XXXII 4

Qvi videt^ is peccat : qui te non viderit ergo,
non cupiet : facti lumina crimen ^ habent.

nam quid Praenesti dubias^ o Cynthia, sortes^
quid petis Aeaei moenia Telegoni ?

^ A neiv elegy in jul, no breaJc in NFL.

2 et duo . . . erant Hertzberg ; et quo . . . erat NFL,

3 5-8 transposed to follow 16 by Dousa.

4 No break in NFL, separated by Beroaldus,

5 lumina crimen 5" : crimina lumen NFL,

156

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

XXXI

Thou askest why I am late in coming to thee.
To-day was the golden colonnade of Phoebus opened
by mighty Caesar ; so vast it was to view^ laid out
with Punic columns/ between which stood the many
daughters of the old man Danaus. Next in the midst
of all the temple rose built of shining marble and
dearer to Phoebus than his Ortygian home. And on
the topmost roof were two chariots of the Sun^ and
the doors were of Libyan ivory wrought in wondrous
wise. One told the fearful tale of the Gauls hurled
down from ofF Parnassus' peak^^ and one the death of
the daughter of Tantalus. And last between his
mother and his sister stood the Pythian god him-
self, clad in long raiment, his voice uphfted in song.
Fairer he seemed to me than Phoebus' self, as he
sang with silent lyre and parted lips of stone. And
round about the altar stood Myron's kine^ four
counterfeit oxen^ statues that seemed to Uve.

XXXII

Who sees thee sins : he then that hath not seen
thee will not desire thee : 'tis the eyes must bear
the blame. Else why at Praeneste seekst thou
oracles of double import? Why seekst thou the
walls of Aeaean Telegonus ? Why does thy chariot

1 I.e.t of Punic marble : yellow marble stained with red, now
known as giallo antico.

2 In 278 B.c. the Gauls attacked Delphi, but were driven
off by storm and earthquake. Cp, III. xiii. 51-54.

157

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

cur tua te ^ Herculeum deportant esseda Tibur ?

Appia cur totiens te via Lanuvium ? ^
lioc utinam spatiere loco^ quodcumque vacabis^

Cynthia I sed tibi me credere turba vetat^
cum videt accensis devotam currere taedis

in nemus et Triviae lumina ferre deae. 10

scilicet umbrosis sordet Pompeia columnis

Porticus^ aulaeis nobilis Attalicis^
et platanis creber pariter surgentibus ordo^

fiumina sopito quaeque Marone cadunt^
et leviter nymphis tota crepitantibus urbe

cum subito Triton ore recondit aquam.
falleris^ ista tui furtum via monstrat amoris :

non urbem^ demens^, lumina nostra fugis !
nil agis^ insidias in me componis inanes^

tendis iners docto retia nota mihi. 20

sed de me minus est : famae iactura pudicae

tanta tibi miserae^ quanta meretur^^ erit.
nuper enim de te nostras maledixit ^ ad aures

rumor^ et in tota non bonus urbe fuit.
sed tu non debes inimicae credere hnguae :

semper formosis fabula poena fuit.
non tua deprenso damnata est fama veneno :

testis eris puras^ Phoebe_, videre manus.
sin autem longo nox una aut altera lusu

consumpta est^, non me crimina parva movent. 30

1 cur tua te Baehrens : curva te JV : cur vatein FL.

2 Lanuvium Jortin : dicit anum N : ducit aimtn FL.

3 meretur i\^.- mereris -FX. 4 nostras/; nostra iV^ii''^.
maledixit Schneidewm : me ledit FLN.

158

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

bear thee so oft to Herculean Tibur ? Why so oft
does the Appian Way lead thee to Lanuvium ?

' Ah that thou wouldst walk here in all thine
hours of leisure ! but the world forbids me trust
thee^ when it beholds thee hurry in frenzy with
kindled torehes to the Arician grove, and bear Hghts
in honour of the goddess Trivia. Forsooth, thou
carest naught for Pompey's colonnade, with its shady
columns^ bright-hung with gold-embroidered cur-
tains ; naught for the avenue thick-planted with
plane-trees rising in trim rows ; nor the waters that
flow from Maro's slumbering form and run, their
Naiads babbHng through all the streets of Rome^ till
at the last, with sudden plunge,, they vanish in the
Triton's mouth.^

^'^ Thou deceiv'st thyself ; thy wanderings reveal
some secret passion ; 'tis not the city, 'tis my eyes
thou flyest. Thou strivest in vain ; empty are the
wiles thou spinnest against me ; with Httle skill thou
spreadst famihar snares for me^ whom experience has
taught. But for myself it matters httle ; the loss
of thine honest name will be no less great than it
deserves to be. For of late rumour spake ill of thee
in mine ears^ and a tale of evil ran through all the
city.

2^ And yet thou shouldst not trust these bitter
words ; scandal has ever been the doom of beauty.
Thine honour has ne'er been blasted by the crime of
poisoning ; thou^ Phoebus^ wilt bear witness that her
hands are unsuUied. And if thou hast spent one
night or two in long-drawn wantoning, such petty

^ The simplest explanation of this passage is that the waters
issued from a statue of Maro, and disappeared into the mouth
of a Triton. It has also been suggested that the Triton was
an automaton that blew a blast upon a horn as a signal that
the water should be cut off.

159

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

Tyndaris externo patriam mutavit amore,

et sine decreto viva reducta domum est.
ipsa Venus fertur ^ corrupta libidine Martis,

nec minus in caelo semper honesta fuit.
quamvis Ida Parim pastorem dieat amasse

atque inter pecudes accubuisse deam,
hoc et Hamadryadum spectavit turba sororum

Silenique senes ^ et pater ipse chori;
cum quibus Idaeo legisti poma sub antro,

supposita excipiens^ Nai^ caduca ^ manu. 40

an quisquam in tanto stuprorum examine quaerit

^^ Cur haec tam dives ? quis dedit ? unde dedit ? "
o nimium nostro felicem tempore Romam,

si contra mores una puella facit !
haec eadem ante illam impune et Lesbia fecit :

quae sequitur, certe est invidiosa minus.
qui quaerit Tatios veteres durosque Sabinos^

hic posuit nostra nuper in urbe pedem.
tu prius et fluctus poteris siccare marinos^

altaque mortali deUgere astra manu, 50

quam facere, ut nostrae nohnt peccare puellae :

hic mos Saturno regna tenente fuit_,
et cum DeucaHonis aquae fluxere per orbem ;

at ^ post antiquas Deucahonis aquas^
dic mihi_, quis potuit lectum servare pudicum,

quae dea cum solo vivere sola deo ?

^ ferturiV; quamvis i^Z.

2 senes Beroaldus : senis NFL.

3 Nai, caduca Scaliger : naica dona NFL,

4 at Palmer : et NFL.

160

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

crimes vex me not a whit. Tlie daughter of Tyn-
dareus left her fatherland for the love of a stranger,
and yet was brought home aHve without condemna-
tion. Venus herself is said to have been seduced
by the lust of Mars^ yet none the less had she honour
alway in heaven. Though Ida's mount tell how a
goddess^ loved the shepherd Paris^ and lay with
him among his flocks^ yet all this the band of sister
Hamadryads beheld^ and the old Sileni and the
father of their company himself; and with them
thou^ Naiad, didst gather in the glens of Ida wild
apples falUng to thy hand upstretched beneath the
boughs.

^i After a host of sinners such as these does any
ask : ^^ Why is she so rich .^ " ^'^ Who gave ? Whence
came his gifts ? " O Rome in these our days^ thy
happiness is full to overflowing, if one girl act not as
her fellows do. All these things did Lesbia before
Cynthia^ wherefore Lesbia's follower is of a surety
less hateful. He that hopes still to find the ancient
Tatii^ and the strict Sabine^ has but lately set foot in
our city. Sooner shalt thou have power to dry the
waters of the deep and phick down the lofty stars
with mortal hand^ than bring it to pass that our maids
should refuse to sin. Such was the fashion in the
reign of Saturn^ and when DeucaHon's waves over-
flowed the world ; but after Deucalion's flood in the
days of old^ teU me^ who was ever able to keep his
bed chaste^ what goddess could ever bide alone with

^ Oenone, who was according to some legends a water-
nymph.

161

SEXTl PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

uxorem quondam magni Minois, ut aiunt,

corrupit torvi candida forma bovis ;
nec minus aerato Danae circumdata muro

non potuit magno casta negare lovi. 60

quod si tu Graias es tuque ^ imitata Latinas^

semper vive meo libera iudicio !

XXXIII

Tristia iam redeunt iterum sollemnia nobis :

Cynthia iam noctes est operata decem.
atque utinam pereant_, Nilo quae sacra tepente

misit matronis Inachis Ausoniis !
quae dea tam cupidos totiens divisit amantes^

quaecumqu? illa fuit^ semper amara fuit.
tu certe lovis occultis in amoribus, lo^

sensisti multas quid sit inire vias,
cum te iussit habere puellam cornua luno

et pecoris duro perdere verba sono. 10

a quotiens quernis laesisti frondibus ora,

mandisti et stabuhs arbuta ^ pasta tuis !
an^ quoniam agrestem detraxit ab ore figuram

luppiter, idcirco facta superba dea es ?
an tibi non satis est fuscis A egy ptus ahimnis ?

cur tibi tam longa Roma petita via ?
quidve tibi prodest viduas dormire puellas ?

sed tibi^ crede mihi, cornua rursus erunt^

1 es tuque Baehrens : tuque es NFL,

2 mandisti Palmer : mansisti iVi^j&. et ITeinsius: om. NFL.
arbuta Palmer : abdita NFL.

162

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

one god only ? The wife of great Minos^ once^ 'tis
said^ was seduced by the snowy form of a fierce bvill^
nor was Danae girt in her tower of bronze less unable
to keep her chastity and deny mighty Jove, But if
thou hast taken the women of Greece and of Rome
for patternS;, live ever in freedom ; I blame thee
not.

XXXIII

Once more those dismal rites have returned to
plague us : now for ten nights hath Cynthia sac-
rificed. And a curse upon the rites which the
daughter of Inachus hath sent from the warm Nile
to the matrons of Italy ! The goddess that so oft
hath sundered such ardent iovers^ whoe'er she may
have been, was always a bitter goddess. Yet^ lo,
in truth thou didst learn in thy secret loves w^ith
Jove what it is to tread many paths of wandering^
when Juno bade thee wear horns upon thy girhsh
brow and lose thy speech in the harsh bellowings of
kine. Ah I how oft didst thou gall thy mouth with
oak-leaves^ and in thy stall didst chew once more the
arbutus^ on which thou hadst fed ! Hast thou become
so haughty a goddess since Jupiter took away from
thee thy wild shape ? Hast thou not worshippers
enough among the swart Egyptians ? Why didst
thou come such a long journey to Rome ? What
profits it thee that maids should sleep alone ? Nay,
believe me, thy horns will sprout again_, or we will

163

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

aut nos e nostra te_, saeva^ fugabimus urbe :

cum Tiberi Nilo gratia nulla fuit. 20

at tu^ quae nostro nimium placata dolore es^

noctibus his vacui ter faciamus iter.
non audis et verba sinis mea ludere^ cum iam

flectant Icarii sidera jbarda boves.
lenta bibis : mediae nequeunt te frangere noctes ?

an nondum est talos mittere lassa manus ?
a pereat^ quicumque meracas repperit uvas

corrupitque bonas nectare primus aquas !
Icare^ Cecropiis merito iugulate colonis^

pampineus nosti quam sit amarus odor ! 30

tuque o Eurytion vino Centaure peristi^

nec non Ismario tu^ Polypheme^ mero.
vino forma perit_, vino corrumpitur aetas^

vino saepe suum nescit amica virum.
me miserum^ ut multo nihil est mutata Lyaeo !

iam bibe : formosa es : nil tibi vina nocent,
cum tua praependent demissae in pocula sertae^^

et mea deducta carmina voce legis.
largius effuso madeat tibi mensa Falerno^

spumet et aurato molUus in cahce. 40

nulla tamen lecto recipit se sola hbenter :

est quiddam^ quod vos ^ quaerere cogat Amor.
semper in absentes fehcior aestus amantes :

elevat assiduos copia longa viros.

^ demissae . . . sertae N, Charisius : demissa • . . serta
FL,

2 vos N : nos FL.

164

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

chase thee, cruel goddess, from our city ! There
ne'er was love lost 'twixt Tiber and Nile.

21 But thou^ Cynthia^ since my woes have more than
appeased thee^ let us^ whom these nights kept idle^
thrice make ]ove's journey together.

^^ Thou hearest me not and lettest my words be-
come a mockery^ though Icarus' oxen are wheeHng
their slow-moving stars to the setting ; thou drinkst
unmoved ; has midnight no power to weary thee ?
or is thy hand never tired of casting the dice ? A
curse on him that first introduced the pure juice
of the grape and first spoilt wholesome water by
mixing wine therein !

^^ Icarus^ justly wast thou slain by the farmers of
Cecrops' land ; thou hast found how rueful is the
scent of the vine. Thou also^ centaur Eurytion^ didst
perish through wine-bibbing^ and thou^ Polyphemus,
wast undone by the Ismarian grape. Wine marreth
beauty^ wine spoils our prime ; and thanks to wine
a mistress oft knows not her lover.

^^ Woe is me : deep draughts have changed thee
not a w^hit : drink on; thou art beautiful^ the wine
does thee no hurt^ when garlands hang over thy brow
and droop into thy cups^ and thou readest my verses
with utterance soft and low\ Let the board be
drowned still deeper in floods of Falernian and
more hisciously foam the wine in thy cup of gold !
Yet no woman ever betakes her willingly to a lonely
bed ; there is a somewhat that Love compels all to
seek. Woman's heart is kinder always towards absent
lovers ; long possession takes from the worth of the
persistent wooer.

165

SEXTl PR()PP:RTI ELEGIARVxM LIBER II

XXXIV 1

CvR qiiisquam faciem dominae iam credat ^ Amori ?

sic erepta mihi paene piiella mea est.
expertus dico, nemo est in amore fidelis :

formosam raro non sibi quisque petit.
poUuit ille deus cognatos^ solvit amicos^

et bene concordes tristia ad arma vocat.
hospes in hospitium Menelao venit adulter :

Colchis et ignotum nonne secuta virum est }
Lynceu^ tune meam potuisti^ perfide^ curam

tangere ? nonne tuae tum cecidere manus } 10
quid si non constans illa et tam certa fuisset ?

posses in tanto vivere flagitio ?
tu mihi vel ferro pectus vel perde veneno :

a domina tantum te modo tolle mea.
te socium vitae^ te corporis esse Hcebit^

te dominum admitto rebus^ amice^ meis :
lecto te solum_, lecto te deprecor uno :

rivalem possum non ego ferre lovem.
ipse meas solus, quod nil est^ aemulor umbras^

stultus^ quod nullo ^ saepe timore tremo. 20

una tamen causa est^ cur crimina tanta remitto^

errabant multo quod tua verba mero.
sed numquam vitae fallet me ruga severae :

omnes iam norunt quam sit amare bonum.

^ No hreaJc in NFL, scparated hy Beroaldus.

2 iam credat N : non credit FL.

3 nuUo Beinsius : stulto NFL,

166

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

XXXIV

Why should any one henceforth entrust his mistress'
beauty to the care of Love ? Thus was my beloved
nearly stolen from me. I speak from experience ;
no man is ever faithful in love^ and rarely does any^
beholding beauty, seek not to make it his own,
Love polhites kinship, parts friends^ and summons
them^ that are well agreed^ to bitter strife. The
adulterer^ that was made welcome by Menelaus^ was
a stranger ; and did not the woman of Colchis follow
a lover whom she knew not ?

^ Lynceus, hadst thou the heart to touch my
beloved ? Did not thy hands_, faithless friend^ fall
powerless then ? What if she had not been so
constant and so true ? Couldst thou have Hved in
such guilt ? Take my Hfe with poison or the sword^
only take thyself away from my mistress. Thou
mayest be the comrade of my Hfe and part never
from my side ; my friend^ I make thee lord of aU my
fortune ; 'tis only as partner in my love that I would
have thee never : 1 cannot endure a rival, though
he were Jove himself. I am jealous of mine own
shadow, a thing of nauglit^ fool that I am to tremble
with causeless fear. One plea alone can make me
pardon such a crime : deep draughts of wine had
caused thy tongue to stray. Yet never shaU thy
brow^ wrinkled with stern moraHty^ deceive me : the
world is old enough for all to know how good a thing
is love.

167

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

Lynceus ipse meus seros insanit amores !

solum te nostros laetor adire deos.
quid tua Socraticis tibi nunc sapientia libris

proderit aut rerum dicere posse vias ?
aut quid Erechthei tibi prosunt carmina plectri ? ^

nil iuvat in magno vester amore senex. 30

tu satius Meropem Musis ^ imitere Philetan

et non inflati somnia Calhmachi.
nam rursus hcet Aetoh referas Acheloi

fluxerit ut magno fractus ^ amore liquor^
atque etiam ut Phrygio fallax Maeandria campo

errat et ipsa suas decipit unda vias^
quahs et Adrasti fuerit vocahs Arion,

tristis ad Archemori funera victor equus :
Amphiarea tibi non prosint ^ fata quadrigae

aut Capanei magno grata ruina lovi. 40

desine et Aeschyleo componere verba coturno^

desine, et ad molles membra resolve choros.
incipe iam angusto versus includerc torno^

inque tuos ignes^ dure poeta, veni.
tu non Antimacho^ non tutior ibis Homero :

despicit et magnos recta puella deos.
sed non ante gravis taurus succumbit aratro_,

cornua quam validis haeserit in laqueis^

^ erecthei /i : erechti N' : erethei FL. plectri Fahne?' : lecta
NFL.

2 Meropem Mu&is Bergk, Schneidewin : memorem musisiV;
mi sis memorem FL.

3 fractus 5" : tactus NFL,

4 Amphiarea tibi nil prosiiit Postgate : non amphiareae
prosint tibi NFL.

168

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

2^ Late though it be^ at last Lynceus^ my friend, is
mad with love ! Of this only am I glad^ that at last
thou worshippest the gods we lovers serve. What
will avail thee now thy wisdom drawn from Socratic
books^ what the power to set forth the cause of things ?
What avails thee the songs of the Athenian lyre ?
Thine ancient bard availeth naught against o'er-
mastering love. Do thou rather imitate in thy song
Coan Philetas^ and the dreams of restrained CalU-
machus. Now^ though thou shouldst tell once more
how the stream of AetoUan Achelous flowed shattered
by the might of love^ and withal how the deceitful
wave of Maeander wanders in the Phrygian plain
and perplexes its own channels^, and how^ mourning
at the funeral of Archenlorus^ Adrastus' victorious
steed Arion spake aloud^ naught will avail thee the
fate of the chariot of Amphiaraus^ nor the overthrow
of Capaneus that made glad the heart of Jove. Cease
to frame verse shod with the buskin of Aeschylus,
and bend thy Hmbs in the soft choric dance. Begin
now to turn thy verses on a narrower lathe^ and sing
of thine own flames^ hard-hearted poet. Thou shalt
not be safer in thy goings than Antimachus or
Homer : ^ for a comely girl despises even the power
of the gods.

^^ Yet the stubborn bull yields not to the yoke of
the plough^ e'er his horns have been caught in the

1 Propertius alludes to Antimachus' love for Lyde, and to
the legend recorded by Hermesianax that Homer fell in love
with Penelope.

169

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

nec tu tam ^ duros per te patieris amores :

trux tamen a nobis ante domandus eris. 50

harum nulla solet rationem quaerere mundi^

nec cur fraternis Luna laboret equis,
nec si post Stygias aliquid rest arbiter undas^^

nec si consulto fulmina missa tonent.
aspice me, cui parva domi fortuna relicta est

nullus et antiquo Marte triumphus avi,
ut regnem mixtas inter conviva puellas

hoc ego^ quo tibi nunc elevor, ingenio !
mi lubet hesternis posito ^ languere corolHs,

quem tetigit iactu certus ad ossa deus ; 60

Actia VergiHo custodis Htora Phoebi^

Caesaris et fortes dicere posse rates^
qui nunc Aeneae Troiani suscitat arma

iactaque Lavinis moenia Htoribus.
cedite Romani scriptores^ cedite Grai !

nescio quid maius nascitur IHade.
tu canis umbrosi subter pineta Galaesi

Thyrsin et attritis Daphnin harundinibus,
utque decem possint corrumpere mala pueHas

missus et impressis haedus ab uberibus. 70

feHx, qui viles pomis mercaris amores !

huic Hcet ingratae Tityrus ipse canat.
fehx intactum Corydon qui temptat Alexin

agricolae domini carpere deHcias !

1 tam FL : iam N»

2 rest arbiter undas Munro : restabit NFL. erumpnas FL.
om. N.

3 mi lubet . , . posito Housman: me iuvet . . . positum
NFL. hesternis v: externis N : aeternis i^Z.

170

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

stout noose. Nor wilt thou of thyself be able to
endure the hardships of love ; first thou must have
thy fierce spirit tamed by me. Never will girl inquire
concerning the system of the universe, nor ask why
the labours of the moon depend on her brother's
steeds^ nor if in truth there is a judge beyond the
waves of Styx^ nor if the crashing thunderbolts be
hurled by an aiming hand. Look on me_, to whom
but a scanty fortune hath been left at home^ whose
ancestors ne'er triumphed for battles long ago, see
how I reign at the banquet in the midst of a crowd
of girls;, thanks to the wit for which thou now makest
hght of me 1

^^ Be it mine to He languidly among the wreaths
of yesterday^ for the god hath stricken me with aim
unerring even to the bone. Be it for Vergil to sing
the shores of Actium o'er which Phoebus watches^
and Caesar's gallant ships of war ; Vergil that now
wakes to Ufe the arms of Trojan Aeneas and the
walls he founded on the Lavinian shore. Yield ye^
bards of Rome, yield ye^ singers of Greece ! Some-
thing greater than the lUad now springs to birth !
Vergil^ thou singest beneath the pine-woods of shady
Galaesus^ of Thyrsis^ and Daphnis^ with the well-worn
pipe of reed^ and how ten apples or a kid ^ fresh from
the udder of its dam may win the love of a girl.
Happy thou that thus cheaply buyest thy love with
apples ; to such a love may even Tityrus^ sing, unkind
though she be. Happy^ too^ Corydon^who seeks to win
Alexis/ the darUng of the farmer^ his master^ Alexis

1 The allusion is probably to Qeorg, IV. 125. The Galaesus
is not mentioned in the Eclogues»

2 Ecl, V, and vii. 3 Ecl. iii. 70. 4 Ecl. i. 5 EcL ii.

171

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER II

quamvis ille sua lassus requiescat avena^

laudatur faciles inter Hamadryadas.
tu canis Ascraei veteris praecepta poetae,

quo seges in campo^ quo viret uva iugo.
tale facis carmen docta testudine quale

Cynthius impositis temperat articulis. 80

non tamen haec ulU venient ingrata legenti^

sive in amore rudis sive peritus erit.
nec minor hic animis, ut sit minor ore/ canorus

anseris indocto carmine cessit olor.
haec quoque perfecto ludebat lasone Varro^

Varro Leucadiae maxima flamma suae ;
haec quoque lascivi cantarunt scripta CatulH^

Lesbia quis ipsa notior est Helena ;
haec etiam docti confessa est pagina Calvi_,

cum caneret miserae funera Quintihae. 90

et modo formosa qui ^ multa Lycoride Gallus

mortuus inferna vuhiera lavit aqua !
Cynthia quin etiam versu laudata Properti^

hos inter si me ponere Fama volet.

1 hic Housman : his NFL. auimis N : ammi FL, iit sit
minor Housman : aut sim minor NFL (minor ore canorus
om. N).

2 qui 5" : quam NFL.

172

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK II

yet unwon ; even though he weary and rest from his
piping^ yet is he praised by the wanton Hamadryads.
Thou singest also the precepts of Ascra's poet old^
telhng in what plains the corn grows green^ and on
what hills the vine. Such music makest thou as the
Cynthian god modulates with fingers pressed upon
his well-skilled lyre. Yet these songs of thine will
fail to please none that reads^ whether he be skilled
in love or all unlearned ; and the melodious '^ swan/'
less lofty of accent^ yet no less inspired when he
sings the songs of love_, sinks not to tuneless cackle
like the '^'^goose." ^

^^ Such sportive themes also did Varro sing when
his tale of Jason was all told ; ^ Varro^ Leucadia's
mightiest flame. Such are the songs that wanton
Catullus wrote^ whose Lesbia is better known than
Helen. Such passion also the pages of learned
Calvus did confess^ when he sang of the death of
hapless Quintilia ; and dead Gallus too_, that of late
laved in the streams of Hell the many wounds dealt
him by fair Lycoris. Nay^ Cynthia also has been
glorified by Propertius — if Fame shall grant me a
place mid such as they.

^ A punning reference to the poetaster Anser (=goose),
suo^gested by Vergil, Ed. ix. 36.

2 7.6?., after the publication of his translation of the Argo-
nautica of Apollonius Rhodius.

173

BOOK III

LIBER TERTIVS

I

Callimachi Manes et Coi sacra Philetae^

in vestmm^ quaeso^ me sinite ire nemus.
primus ego ingredior puro de fonte sacerdos

Itala per Graios orgia ferre choros.
dicite^ quo pariter carmen tenuastis in antro }

quove pede ingressi ? quamve bibistis aquam ?
a valeat^ Phoebum quicumque moratur in armis !

exactus tenui pumice versus eat^ —
quo me Fama levat terra subHmis_, et a me

nata coronatis Musa triumphat equis^ 10

et mecum in curru parvi vectantur Amores^

scriptorumque meas turba secuta rotas.
quid frustra missis in me certatis habenis ?

non datur ad Musas currere lata via.
multi_, Roma^ tuas laudes annalibus addent^

qui finem imperii Bactra futura canent ;
sed^ quod pace legas^ opus hoc de monte Sororum

detuUt intacta pagina nostra via.
mollia^ Pegasides^ date vestro serta poetae :

non faciet capiti dura corona meo. 20

176

THE THIRD BOOK

Shade of Callimachus and sacred rites of Philetas,
suffer me, I pray^ to enter your grove. I am the
first with priestly service from an unsulHed spring to
carry ItaUan mysteries among the dances of Greece.^
Tell me^ in what grotto did ye weave your songs
together? With what step did ye enter.^ What
sacred fountain did ye drink ?

"^ Awvay with the man who keeps Phoebus tarrying
among the weapons of war ! Let verse run smoothly^
poHshed with fine pumice. 'Tis by such verse as this
that Fame Hfts me aloft from earth^ and the Muse^
my daughter^ triumphs with garlanded steeds, and
tiny Loves ride with me in my chariot^ and a throng
of writers follows my wheels. Why strive ye against
me vainly w ith loosened rein ? Narrow is the path
that leadeth to the Muses. Many, O Rome, shall
add fresh glories to thine annals, singing that Bactra
sliaU be thine empire's bound ; but tliis work of mine
my pages have brought down from the Muses' mount
by an untrodden way, that thou mayest read it in
the midst of peace.

^^ Pegasid Muses, give soft garlands to your poet :
no hard crown wiU suit my brow. But that whereof

^ /.c, to write on Italian subjects in Greek style.

M 177

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

at mihi quod vivo detraxerit invida turba^

post obitum duplici faenore reddet Honos ; ^
omnia post obitum fingit maiora vetustas : ^

maius ab exsequiis nomen in ora venit.
nam quis equo pulsas abiegno nosceret arces,

fluminaque Haemonio comminus isse viro^
Idaeum Simoenta^ lovis cum prole Scamandro,^

Hectora per campos ter maculasse rotas ?
Deiphobumque Helenumque et Pulydamanta et
in armis

qualemcumque Parim vix sua nosset humus. 30
exiguo sermone fores nunc^ Ilion^ et tu

Troia bis Oetaei numine eapta dei.
nec non ille tui casus memorator Homerus

posteritate suum crescere sensit opus.
meque inter seros laudabit Roma nepotes :

ilkun post cineres auguror ipse diem.
ne mea eontempto lapis indicet ossa sepulcro

provisum est Lycio vota probante deo.

II

Carminis interea nostri redeamus in orbem ;

gaudeat in solito tacta puella sono.
Orpliea delenisse * feras et concita dicunt

flumina Threicia sustinuisse lyra ;

^ reddet/; reddi t iVi^Z. lionosr: onusiV^i^Z.

2 omnia FL : famae N. vetustas FL : vetustae N.

3 cum prole Scamandro G. Wolff: cunabula parvi FL : om, N,
* delenisse Ayrmann : detinuisse NL : detenuisse F.

J78

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

the envious throng have robbed me in Hfe^ Glory
after death shall repay with double interest. After
death lapse of years makes all things seem greater ;
after the rites of burial a name rings greater on
the Ups of men. Else who would know aught of
the citadel shattered by the horse of fir-wood^ or
how rivers strove in mortal conflict with Haemonia's
hero ? Who would know aught of Idaean Simois and
Scamander sprung from Jove^ or tliat the chariot-
wheel thrice dragged Hector foully o'er the plain ?
Scarce would their own land know Deiphobus^
Helenus^ and Puiydamas^ and Paris that sorry warrior.
Little talk now would there be of thee^ IHon^ and of
thee^ Troy, twice captured by the power of Oeta's
god. Nay^ even Homer^ that told thy fall, hath seen
his work grow in fame through lapse of after-years.
Me too shall Rome praise in the voices of late-born
generations ; myself I foresee that day beyond the
fatal pyre. No man shall spurn the grave where the
headstone marks my bones ! So ordaineth Lycia's
god, for he hath approved my vows.

II

Meanwhile let us return to our wonted round of
song ; let the heart of my mistress be moved with
joy at the old famiUar music. They say that Orpheus
with his Thracian lyre tamed wild beasts and stayed

179

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

saxa Cithaeronis Thebas agitata per artem

sponte sua in muri ^ membra coisse ferunt ;
quin etiam^ Polypheme^ fera Galatea sub Aetna

ad tua rorantes carmina flexit equos.
miremur^, nobis et Baccho et ApoUine dextro^

turba puellarum si mea verba colit ? 10

quod non Taenariis domus est mihi fulta columnis^

nec camera auratas inter eburna trabes^
nec mea Phaeacas aequant pomaria silvas^

non operosa rigat Marcius antra liquor ;
at Musae comites et carmina cara legenti^

nec 2 defessa choris CaUiopea meis.
fortunata^ meo si qua est celebrata libello !

carmina erunt formae tot monumenta tuae.
nam neque Pyramidum sumptus ad sidera ducti^

nec lovis Elei caelum imitata domuS; 20

nec Mausolei dives fortuna sepulcri

mortis ab extrema condicione vacant.
aut illis flamma aut imber subducit honores^

annorum aut ictus pondere ^ victa ruent.
at non ingenio quaesitum nomen ab aevo

excidet : ingenio stat sine morte decus.

1 iii muri ^ : in numeri NL : immineri F,

2 nec Baehrens : et FL : omitted hy N.

3 ictus L : ictu NF» pondere NL : pondera F.

180

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

rushing rivers^ and that Cithaeron's rocks were
driven to Thebes by the minstrers art and of their
own will gathered to frame a wall. Nay, Galatea too
beneath wild Etna turned her steeds that dripped
with brine to the sound of thy songs^ Polyphemus.

^ What marvel^ when Bacchus and Apollo smile on
me^ that a host of maidens should adore my words ?
My house is not stayed on Taenarian columns ; I have
no ivory chamber with gilded beams ; no orchards
have I to vie with Phaeacia's trees^ nor hath art
built me grottoes watered by the Marcian fount. But
the Muses are my comrades^ and my songs are dear
to them that read^ nor ever is Calliope aweary with
my dancing.^

^' Happy she that book of mine hath praised ! My
songs shall be so many memorials of thy beauty.
For neither the Pyramids built skyward at such
cost^ nor the house of Jove at EHs that matches
heaven, nor the wealth of Mausolus' tomb are exempt
from the end imposed by death. Their glory is
stolen away by fire or rain, or the strokes of time
whelm them to ruin crushed by their own weight.
But the fame that my wit hath won shall never
perish : for wit renown endureth deathless.

^ Or perhaps " music."

181

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

III

Visvs eram molli reciibHiis Heliconis in imibra^

Bellerophontei qua fluit umor equi^
reges_, Alba^ tuos et regum facta tuorum^

tantum operis^ nervis hiscere posse meis ;
parvaque tam magnis admoram fontibus ora^

unde pater sitiens Ennius ante bibit ;
et cecinit Curios fratres et Horatia pila^

regiaque Aemilia vecta tropaea rate^
victricesque moras Fabii pugnamque sinistram

Cannensem et versos ad pia vota deos^ 10

Hannibalemque Lares Romana sede fugantes^

anseris et tutum voce fuisse lovem :
cum me CastaHa s])eculans ex arbore Phoebus

sic ait aurata nixus ad antra Ivra :
'•' Quid tibi cum taH^ demens^ est flumine ? quis te

carminis heroi tangere iussit opus ?
non hinc ulla tibi speranda est fama^ Properti :

molHa sunt parvis prata terenda rotis ;
ut tuus in scamno iactetur saepe HbeUus,

quem legat exspectans sola puella virum. 20

cur tua praescripto sevecta est pagina gyro ?

non est ingenii cumba gravanda tui.
alter remus aquas alter tibi radat harenas^

tutus eris : medib maxima turba mari est."
dixerat, et plectro sedem mihi monstrat eburno,

qua nova muscoso semita facta solo est.
182

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

III

Methought I lay in the soft shades of Helicon,
where flows the fountain of Bellerophon's steed^ an4
deenied I had the power with sinews such as mine to
sing of thy kings, O Alba^ and the deeds of thy
kings, a mighty task. Already I had set my puny
lips to those mighty fountains^, whence father Ennius
once slaked his thirst and sang of the Curian brothers
and the javelins of the Horatii and the royal trophies
borne in Aemilius' bark, of the victorious delays of
Fabius, the fatal fight of Cannae and the gods that
turned to answer pious prayers, of the Lares frighting
Hannibal from their Roman home^ and of Jove saved
by the cackling goose.

^^ But of a sudden Phoebus espied me from his
Castalian grove and spake thus^ leaning on his golden
lyre nigh to a cavern : ^' Madman, what hast thou to do
with such a stream t Who bade thee essay the task
of heroic song } Not hence^ Propertius^ mayest thou
hope for fame ! Soft are the meads o'er which thy
little wheels must roll^ that oft thy book may be read
by some lonely girl^ that waits her absent lover^ and
oft be cast upon the stool at her feet.^ Why has thy
page swerved from the ring prescribed for it } The
shallop of thy wit can bear no heavy cargo ! Let one
oar skim the w^ater^ the other the sand ; so shalt thou
be safe : mighty is the turmoil in mid-sea." He spake^
and with his ivory quill showed me a dwelling^ where
a new path had been made along the mossy floor.

1 Two interpretations of this obscure couplet are possible :
(a) the book is cast down on the arrival of the lover ; (6) the
reader is restless and keeps throwing the book down.

183

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III
hic erat affixis viridis spelunca lapillis^

pendebantqiie cavis tympana piimicibus^
orgia ^ Musarum et Sileni patris imago

fictilis et calami^ Pan Tegeaee^ tui ; 30

Qt Veneris dominae volucres^ mea turba^ columbae

tingunt Gorgoneo punica rostra lacu ;
diversaeque novem sortitae rura Puellae

exercent teneras in sua dona manus :
haec hederas legit in thyrsos^, haec carmina nervis

aptat, at illa manu texit utraque rosam.
e quarum numero me contigit una dearum

(ut reor a facie^ CaUiopea fuit) :
^^ Contentus niveis semper vectabere cycnis^

nec te fortis equi ducet ^d arma sonus. 40

nil tibi sit rauco praeconia classica cornu

flare^ nec Aonium tinguere Marte nemus ;
aut quibus in campis Mariano proelia signo

stent et Teutonicas Roma refringat opes,
barbarus aut Suevo perfusus sanguine Rhenus

saucia maerenti corpora vectet aqua.
quippe coronatos ahenum ad Hmen amantes

nocturnaeque canes ebria signa fugae,
ut per te clausas sciat excantare puellas^

qui volet austeros arte ferire viros." 50

talia CalHope^ lymphisque a fonte petitis

ora Philetaea nostra rigavit aqua.

1 orgia Heinsius : ergo NFL.

184

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

^^ Here was a green cave^ its walls lined with
pebbles^ and timbrels hung from its hollowed stones ;
there hung also the mystic instruments of the Muses
and the clay image of father Silenus^ and thy
reeds^ O Pan of Tegea ; and doves^ birds of my lady
VenuSj the birds I love^ dipped their red bills in the
Gorgon's fount, while here and there the Maidens
nine^ to each of whom the lot hath given her several
realm^ busied their soft hands about their diverse gifts.
One gathered ivy for the thyrsus-wand^ another tuned
her song to the music of the lyre^ a third with either
hand wove wreaths of roses.

^' Then one of the number of these goddesses laid
her hand upon me — 'twas Calliope/ as 1 deem by her
face : '' Thou shalt alway be content to be drawn by
snowy swans^ nor shall the tramp of the war-horse
lead thee to battle. Care not thou with hoarse
trumpet-blast to blare forth martial advertisement
nor to stain Aonia's grove with war. Care not thou
in what fields the battle is arrayed beneath Marius'
standard^ and Rome beats back the Teuton's power^
nor where the wild Rhine, steeped witb the Swabian's
blood, bears mangled bodies down its sorrowing
waves.

47 ic Yqx thou shalt sing of garlanded lovers watch-
in<r before another's threshold, and the tokens of
drunken flight through the dark^ that he who would
cheat stern husbands by his cunning may through
thee have power to charm forth his imprisoned love."
So spake Calliope^ and^ drawing water from the fount^
sprinkled my lips with the draught Philetas loved.

^ It is probable that Propertius regards the name Calliope
as meaning in Greek ** fair-faced " instead of ** sweet-voiced."

185

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

IV

Arma deiis Caesar dites meditatur ad IndoSj

et freta gemmiferi findere classe maris.
magna^ viri^ merces : parat iiltima terra triumphos^

Thybris^ et Eu])hrates sub tua iura fluet ; ^
sera^ sed Ausoniis veniet provincia virgis ;

assuescent Latio Partha tropaea lovi.
ite agite^ expertae bello date Hntea prorae^

et sohtum armigeri ducite munus equi !
omina fausta cano. Crassos clademque piate !

ite et Romanae consuHte historiae ! ] 0

Mars pater, et sacrae fataHa lumina Vestae^

ante meos obitus sit precor illa dies^
qua videam spoUis oneratos Caesaris axes^

ad vulgi plausus saepe resistere equos^
inque sinu carae nixus spectare puellae

incipiam et tituHs oppida capta legam^
tela fugacis equi et bracati miHtis arcus^

et subter captos arma sedere duces 1
ipsa tuam serva prolem^ Venus : hoc sit in aevum^

cernis ab Aenea quod superesse caput. 20

praeda sit haec iHis^ quorum meruere labores :

mi sat erit Sacra ^ plaudere posse Via.

1 Thybris . . . fluet Housman : Tigris . . . fluent NFL.

2 mi ^ : me NFL. sacra N : om. L : media F.

186

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

IV

Caesar our god plans war ^ against rich Ind and
would cleave with his fleet the waters of the pearl-
bearing sea. Great is the prize_, men of Rome :
furthest earth prepares triumphs for thee^ Tiber^ and
Euphrates shall flow beneath thy sway. Late shall
that province come beneath Ausonia's rods^ yet it
shall surely come ; Parthia's trophies shall become
familiar with Latin Jupiter. Go now^ ye prows well
skilled in war^ unfurl your sails ; ye war-horses^ ply
the task ye know so well ! I sing you prospering
omens Avenge Crassus and his slaughter ! Go forth
and make fair the pages of Rome's story !

^^ O father Mars and ye fires of fate^ that burn for
holy Vesta^ I implore you^ may that day come ere I
die^ on which I shall see Caesar's chariots laden with
spoils and liis steeds halting at sound of the people's
cheers ; then as I He reclined on the bosom of my
beloved I will read the names of captured cities, and
will turn mine eyes to gaze at the shafts that were
hurled by flying horsemen^ at the bows of trousered
warriors and the chiefs that sit beneath their captured
arms.

i^ Venus^ keep safe thine oflTspring ; may that hfe^
that before thine eyes still preserves Aeneas' Hne^Uve
through all ages ! Be the spoil theirs whose toil has
won it ! Enough for me to be able to cheer them on
the Sacred Way.

1 An allusion to the expedition to Parthia, which actually
took place in 20 B.c.

187

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

Pacis Amor deus est^, pacem veneramur amantes :

sat 1 mihi cum domina proelia dura mea.
nec tantum ^ inviso pectus mihi carpitur auro^

nec bibit e gemma divite nostra sitis^
nec mihi mille iugis Campania pinguis aratur^

nec^ miser^ aera paro clade, Corinthe, tua.
o prima infelix fingenti terra Prometheo 1

ille parum caute pectoris egit opus.
corpora disponens mentem non vidit in arte :

recta animi primum debuit esse via. 10

nunc maris in tantum vento iactamur^ et hostem

quaerimus^ atque armis nectimus arma nova.
haud ullas portabis opes Acherontis ad undas :

nudus ad infernas^ stulte, vehere rates.
victor cum victis pariter miscebitur umbris :

consule cum Mario^ capte lugurtha^ sedes.
Lydus Dulichio non distat Croesus ab Iro :

optima mors^ carpta quae venit acta ^ die.
me iuvat in prima coluisse Helicona iuventa

Musarumque choris implicuisse manus : 20

me iuvet et multo mentem vincire Lyaeo^

et caput in verna semper habere rosa.

1 sat Livineius : stant NFL.

2 tantum Lachmann : tauien NFL.

3 carpta Baehrens : parca NFL. acta NL : apta F.

188

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

LovE is a god of peace : we lovers worship peace :
enough for me the hard warfare I wage with my
mistress. My soul is not so racked with lust for hateful
gold, nor drinks my thirst from cups of precious stone^
nor is fat Campania ploughed for me by a thousand
yokes^ nor do I get me bronzes ^ from thy ruin, hap-
less Corinth.

'^ Ah ! primeval earth so unkind to Prometheus'
fashioning hand ! With too Uttle care he moulded
the human heart. He ordered men's bodies^ but
forgot the mind as he plied his art ; straight before
all else should have been the path of the soul. Now
o'er such wide seas are we tempest-tossed ; we seek
out a foe, and pile fresh war on war. Yet no wealth
shalt thou carry to the waves of Acheron : naked,
thou fool^ thou shalt be borne to the ship of Hell.
There victor and vanquished shades are mingled in
equality of death : captive Jugurtha^ thou sittest be-
side the consul Marius ; Lydian Croesus is as Duhchian
Irus ! That death is best that comes apace when we
have had our joy of Hfe.

^^ My dehght is it to have worshipped Helicon in my
earhest youth and to have entwined my hands in the
Muses' dance. Be it my deHght also to bind my soul
with deep Lyaean drauglits and ever to have wreaths
of spring roses about my brow. And when the

^ An allusiou to Coriuthian bronze, said to have been
formed by the accidental fusing of gold, silver, and bronze at
the burniug of forinth by Mummius, H6 B.c.

189

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

atque ubi iam Venerem gravis interceperit aetas^

sparserit et nigras ^ alba senecta comas^
tum mihi naturae libeat perdiscere mores,

quis deus hanc mundi temperet arte domum^
qua venit exoriens^ qua deficit^ unde coactis

cornibus in plenum menstrua knia redit^
unde salo superant venti^, quid flamine captet

Eurus^ et in nubes unde perennis aqua ; 30

sit ventura dies mundi quae subruat arces^

purpureus pluvias cur bibit arcus aquas^
aut cur Perrhaebi tremuere cacumina Pindi^

soHs et atratis luxerit orbis equis^
cur serus versare boves et plaustra Bootes^^

Pleiadum spisso cur coit igne chorus^
curve suos finis altum non exeat aequor^

plenus et iii partis quattuor annus eat ;
sub terris sint iura deum et tormenta Gigantum^

Tisiphones atro si furit angue caput^ 40

aut Alcmaeoniae furiae aut ieiunia Phinei^

num rota^ num scopuli^ num sitis inter aquas^
num tribus infernum custodit faucibus antrum

Cerberus^ et Tityo iugera pauca novem^
an ficta in miseras descendit fabula gentis^

et timor haud ultra quam rogus esse potest.
exitus hic vitae superest mihi : vos^ quibus arma

grata magis^ Crassi signa referte domum.

^ sparserit et N : sparsit et FL, nigras r i integras NFL.
^ plaustra Bootes r : flamma palustra FL : flamma boon N,

190

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

burdening years have set a stay to love^ and whiten-
ing age hath flecked my black locks^ then be it my
pleasure to learn the ways of nature^ to learn what
god rules by his wisdom this quarter of the world^
how comes the rising moon^ how wanes^ and how each
month its horns are orbed to the full ; whence sweep
the winds in triumph over the sea^ what seeks the
East Wind with his blast^ and whence the clouds draw
their unfaiUng water ; whether a day shall come to
o'erthrow the citadels of the world ; why the bright
bow drinks up the rain-water^ why the peaks of
Perrhaebian Pindus have trembled, why mourned the
sun's disk with dark-robed steeds^ why Bootes is late
to turn his oxen and wain^ why the band of Pleiads
shine with close-set fires^ why the deep outsteps not
its bounds^ and why the full year hath four seasons
in its round ; whether there be gods that rule under-
ground and giants that sufFer torment^ and Tisiphone's
brow be wild with black snakes ; whether Alcmaeon
be plagued with Furies and Phineus with fasting^
whether there be the wheel^ the roUing rock^ the
thirst in the water's midst ; whether Cerberus guards
with triple throat the cave of Hell^ and nine acres
are all too few for Tityos ; or if the tale that hath
come down to wretched mortals be an empty dream
and there is naught to dread beyond the pyre.
Such is the close of life that waits for me : do ye to
whom arms are dearest bring home the standards of
Crassus !

191

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

VI

Dic mihi de nostra^ quae sentis^ vera puella :

sic tibi sint dominae, Lygdame, dempta iuga.
num 1 me laetitia tumefactum fallis inani^

haec referens^ quae me credere velle putas ?
omnis enim debet sine vano nuntius esse^

maioremque timens servus habere fidem.
nunc mihi^ si qua tenes^ ab origine dicere prima

incipe : suspensis auribus ista bibam.
sic, ut eam ^ incomptis vidisti flere capiUis,

iUius ex oculis multa cadebat aqua } 10

nec speculum strato vidisti^ Lygdame^ lecto ?

ornabat niveas nullane gemma manus ?
ac maestam teneris vestem pendere lacertis^

scriniaque ad lecti clausa iacere pedes ?
tristis erat donius^ et tristes sua pensa ministrae

carpebant, medio nebat et ipsa loco^
umidaque impressa siccabat lumina lana^

rettuht et querulo iurgia nostra sono ?
^^ Haec te teste mihi promissa est^ Lygdame^ merces ?

est poenae servo rumpere teste fidem. 20

ille potest nullo miseram me linquere facto_,

et qualem nolo ^ dicere liabere domo !
gaudet me vacuo solam tabescere lecto.

si placet, insultet^ Lygdame^ morte mea.

1 num r : non N: dum FL.

2 sic, ut eam Butler : sicut eam PL : si ca N,

3 et qualem nolo Palmer : et qualem nuUo N: aequalem
nulla FL.

192

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

VI

Tell me truly what thou thinkest of my love : so^
Lygdamus^ be the yoke of thy mistress taken from
thy neck. Dost thou cheat me and make me swell
with baseless joy, telUng me such news as thou thinkst
I woukl fain beheve ? Every messenger should be
blameless of lying, and a slave shoukl be all the
truer by reason of his fear. Now set forth thy tale
to me from the first beginning, if thou rememberest
aught ; I will listen with eager ears.

^ Did her tears rain even so when thou beheldest her
weep with hair dishevelled ? Didst thou see no mirror^
Lygdamus^ on her couch ? Did no jewelled ring adorn
her snowy hands ? Didst thou see a sad-hued robe
hang from her soft arms, and did her toilet caskets lie
closed at the bed's foot ? Was the house sad^ and
sad her handmaids as they pUed their tasks, and was
she knitting in their midst ? Did she press the wool
to her eyes to dry their moisture^ and repeat my
chidings with plaintive tone ? " Is this the reward
he promised me in thy hearing, Lygdamus ? Perjury
may be punished^ though the witness be but a slave.
Can he leave me thus to weep with never an act of
love^ and keep in his house one such as I would not
name ? He rejoices that I pine forlorn in my empty
bed. If it please him, Lygdamus^ let him mock me
even in death ! 'Twas by no winning ways^ but by

N 193

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

non me moribus illa, sed herbis improba vicit :

staminea rhombi ducitiir ille rota.
illum turgentis ranae portenta rubetae

et lecta exuctis ^ anguibus ossa trahunt,
et strigis inventae per busta iacentia plumae,

cinctaque funesto lanea vitta viro. 30

si non vana canunt mea somnia^ Lygdame^ testor,

poena erit ante meos sera sed ampla pedes ;
putris et in vacuo texetur aranea lecto :

noctibus illorum dormiet ipsa Venus."
quae tibi si veris animis est questa puella^

hac eadem rursus^ Lygdame, curre via^
et mea cum multis lacrimis mandata reporta

iram^ non fraudes esse in amore meo^
me quoque consimiU impositum torquerier igni :

iurabo bis sex integer esse dies. 40

quod mihi si e tanto ^ feUx concordia bello

exstiterit, per me^ Lygdame^ liber eris.

VII

Ergo solUcitae tu causa^ pecunia^ vitae !

per te immaturum mortis adimus iter ;
tu vitiis hominum crudelia pabula praebes ;

semina curarum de capite orta tuo.
tu Paetum ad Pharios tendentem lintea portus

obruis insano terque quaterque mari.

^ exuctis Burmann : exectis NL : exactis F,
2 e tanto Lachmann : tanto NFL.

194

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

magic herbs^ that she^ the wretch^ hath conquered me :
he is led captive by the magic wheel ^ whirled on
its string. He is drawn to her by the monstrous
charms of the swelhng bramble-toad and by the
bones she has gathered from dried serpents, by the
owl-feathers found on low-lying tombs, and the
woollen fillet bound about the doomed man.^ I
call thee to witness,, Lygdamus ; if my dreams he
notj he shall yield me vengeance_, late^ yet ample,
as he grovels at my feet. The spider shall weave
her mouldering threads about his empty couch^ and
Venus herself shall slumber on the night of their
embrace.'*

^^ If my love spake these words with truth in her
soul^ run back_, Lygdamus^ by the way thou camest.
Bear back this message from me with many tears^
that my passion may have stooped to anger^ but
never to guile^ that I am tormented by like flame
to hers : I will swear that for twice six days I have
known no woman. Then if blest peace shall spring
from such fierce war^ as far as I may serve thee^
Lygdamus^ thou art free 1

VII

Thou^ therefore^ money^ art the cause that hfe is
full of care ! 'tis for thee we go down to death ere
our time ; 'tis thou that givest men's vices cruel
nourishment, thou art the fount whence spring the
seeds of woe : 'twas thou that thrice and four times
didst whelm with raging seas Paetus that set his sails
toward Pharos' haven,

1 See note, p. 147.

2 7.C., the waxeu image of the object of the spells.

195

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

nam dum te sequitur^ primo miser excidit aevo

et nova longinquis piscibus esca natat ;
et mater non iusta piae dare debita terrae

nec pote cognatos inter humare rogos ; 10

sed tua nunc volucres astant super ossa marinae,

nunc tibi pro tumulo Carpathium omne mare est.
infelix Aquilo^ raptae timor Orithyiae^

quae spolia ex ilio tanta fuere tibi r
aut quidnam fracta gaudes^ Neptune,, carina ?

portabat sanctos alveus ille viros.
Paete^ quid aetatem numeras ? quid cara natanti

mater in ore tibi est ? non habet unda deos
nam tibi nocturnis ad saxa Hgata procelHs

omnia detrito vincula fune cadunt. W

reddite corpus humo^ posita est in gurgite vita ; 25

Paetum sponte tua^ vilis arena^ tegas ;
et quotiens Paeti transibit nauta sepulcrum^

dicat ^^ Et audaci tu timor esse potes."
ite^, rates curvate,^ et leti texite causas :

ista per humanas mors venit acta manus. 30

terra parum fuerat fatis^ adiecimus undas :

fortunae miseras auximus arte vias.
ancora te teneat^ quem non tenuere penates ?

quid meritum dicas^ cui sua terra parum est ?
ventorum est, quodcumque paras : haud ulla carina

consenuit, falHt portus et ipse fidem.
natura insidians pontum substravit avaris :

ut tibi succedat^ vix semel esse potest.

^ curvate Lendrum : curvae NFL,

196

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

' Poor wretch^ while he followed thee he was
snatched away from Ufe's first bloom^ and floats
strange food for fishes far away. His mother might
not give burial due to the dust of him that loved
her^ nor lay him in earth amid the ashes of his
kin. But the birds of the sea stand now above
thy bones^ and thou hast for sepulchre the whole
Carpathian main. Ah ! cruel North Wind^ ravished
Orithyia's dread^ what great harvest of spoil couldst
thou win from him ? Or why^ Neptune^ deUghtest
thou in shipwreck ? Righteous men were they that
voyaged in that hull. Paetus^ why count'st thou
o'er thy years ? Why^ as thou swimmest^ is thy
dear mother's name upon thy lips ? The wave
hath no gods to hear thee. Thy cables were made
fast to the rocks^ but the storms of the night
shore through their strands and swept them all
away.

^^ Give back his body to earth^ his Hfe lies lost in
the deep ; sands without worth^ drift at your will and
cover Paetus. And oft as the mariner passes Paetus'
tomb let him say : ^^ Thou canst bring terror even to
the brave ! " Go to now^ build curving keels^ weave
engines of death : 'tis from man's hands come deaths
Uke this. Earth was too smaU for death^ we have
added the waves : by our craft have we enlarged the
cruel paths of fortune. Should the anchor hold thee^
whom thy home could not hold ? What shouldst
thou say he merits^ that finds his native land too
smaU ? Whate'er thou buildest is sport of the
winds ; no keel hath e'er grown old ; even the haven
keeps not faith. Nature with guile hath made the
sea a path for greed : scarce once may success

197

SEXTI PROPERTl ELEGIARVM LIBER III

sunt Agamemnonias testantia litora curas^ . 21

quae notat Argynni poena Mimantis aquas.^ 22
hoc iuvene amisso classem non solvit Atrides, 23

pro qua mactata est Ipliigenia mora.^ 24

saxa triumphales fregere Capharea puppes^ S9

naufraga cum vasto Graecia tracta salo est. 40

paulatim socium iacturam flevit VUxes,

in mare cui solum ^ non valuere doli.
quod si contentus patrio bove verteret agros^

verbaque duxisset pondus habere mea^
viveret ante suos dulcis conviva Penates,

pauper^ at in terra nil^ nisi fleret opes.^
non tuHt haec Paetus_, stridorem audire procellae

et duro teneras laedere fune manus ;
sed Chio thalamo aut Oricia terebintho

et fultum pluma versicolore caput. 50

huic fluctus vivo radicitus abstuht ungues^

et miser invisam traxit hiatus aquam ;
hunc parvo ferri vidit nox improba hgno :

Paetus ut occideret^ tot coiere mala.
flens tamen extremis dedit haec mandata querehs^

cum moribunda niger clauderet ora hquor :
^^ Di maris, Aegaei quos sunt penes aequora,
venti^

et quaecumque meum degravat unda caput^

^ Argynni r : agynni N : argioni FL, Mimantis aquas Ellis :
minantis aquae NFL.

2 21-24 transposed hy Scaliger after 38,

3 solutn r : soli NFL,

4 nisi r : ubi NFL, fleret opes Baehrens : flere potest NFL,

198

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

be thine. There are shores that bear witness to
Agamemnon's woe^ where the doom of Argynnus
brands the waves of Mimas ; for the loss of this boy
Atrides would not launch his ships and for this tarrying
was Iphigenia slain. The rocks of Caphareus brake
a triumphant fleet, when shipwrecked Greece was
engulfed by the wild brine. Ulysses wept the loss
of his comrades one by one ; against the sea alone
his wiles had no power.

^*^ But if Paetus had been content to plough his
fields with his father's kine^ and had counted my
words of weight, still would he hve to feast in
merriment before his household gods ; poor though
he were^ yet on dry land would he have naught
to beweep, save only lack of wealth. Paetus could
not endure to hear the shrieking gale^ nor to wound
his deUcate hands with the hard cordage ; his
rather to He in a chamber of Chian marble or on
a couch of Orician terebinth^ his head propped on
down of rainbow hues. Yet from him while still he
Uved did the wave rend his nails^ and right loth^
poor wretcli, his gasping throat gulped down the
waters : yet him did the wild night see borne on a
slender plank : so many ills conspired for the death
of Paetus. Natheless with his last lamentations he
gave this charge and wept^ when the dark wave was
closing his dying lips : " Ye gods of the Aegean that
have power over the waters^ ye winds and every
wave that weighs down my head, whither snatch ye

199

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

quo rapitis miseros primae lanuginis annos ?

attulimus nocuas ^ in freta vestra manus ? 60

a miser alcyonum scopulis affligar acutis !

in me caeruleo fuscina sumpta deo est.
at saltem Italiae regionibus evehat aestus :

hoc de me sat erit si modo matris erit."
subtrahit haec fantem torta vertigine fluctus ;

ultima quae Paeto voxque diesque fuit.
o centum aequoreae Nereo genitore puellae^

et tu materno tracta dolore Thetis ;
vos decuit lasso supponere bracchia mento :

non poterat vestras ille gravare manus : 70

at tu^ saeve Aquilo^ numquam mea vela videbis :

aute fores dominae condar oportet iners.

VIII

DvLCis ad hesternas fuerat mihi rixa lucernas^

vocis et insanae tot maledicta tuae.
cum ^ furibunda mero mensam propellis et in me

proicis insana cymbia plena manu.
tu vero nostros audax invade capillos

et mea formosis unguibus ora nota^
tu minitare oculos subiecta exurere flamma^

fac mea rescisso pectora nuda sinu !
nimirum veri dantur mihi signa caloris :

nam sine amore gravi femina nulla dolet. 10

^ nocuas Mousman : longas NFL,

2 CUm TifiTnnld'n.& - nnr NFL

200

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

the hapless years of my first bloom ? Was there
guilt 011 the hands that I brought to your seas ? Ah !
woe is me ! The sharp rocks where the seamew
nests shall batter me ! The god of the blue deep
hath smitten me with his trident. Yet at least may
the tide cast me up on ItaUan shores : little though
there be left of me^ 'twill suffice if but it reach my
mother." Even as he spake these words the wave
with twisting eddy dragged him down ; thus passed
from Paetus speech and Hfe together.

^^ Ye hundred daughters of Nereus^ maids of the
sea^ and thou Thetis, whom a mother's love once drew
from out the deep^ ye should have placed your arms
beneath his weary chin : he was no heavy burden for
your hands. But thou^ fierce wind of the North^
never shalt thou see my sails ; mine rather before my
mistress' doors to lay me down^ adventuring naught.

VIII

RiGHT glad am I of our brawl by the lamplight yester-
eve and all the raiUngs of thy frenzied tongue_, when
mad with wine thou didst thrust away the table and
cast goblets of wine at me with angry hand. Nay^
be bold ! Assail my hair and scar my face with thy
fair talons ! Threaten to hold fire beneath mine eyes
and burn them from their sockets ! Tear my raiment
and leave my bosom bare !

^ In all this forsooth thou givest me tokens of thy
passion's truth : never is woman vexed^ save if her

201

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III
quae mulier rabida ^ iaetat convicia lingua^

haec 2 Veneris magnae volvitur ante pedes,
custodum gregibus circa se stipat euntem^

seu sequitur medias, Maenas ut icta^ vias^
seu timidam crebro dementia somnia terrent,

seu miseram in tabula picta puella movet :
liis ego tormentis animi sum verus haruspex,

has didici certo saepe in amore notas.
non est certa fides^ quam non in iurgia vertas : ^

hostibus eveniat lenta puella meis. 20

in morso aequales videant mea vulnera collo :

me doceat Uvor mecum habuisse meam.
aut in amore dolere volo aut audire dolentem,

sive tuas lacrimas sive videre meas^*
tecta supercihis si quando verba remittis,

aut tua cum digitis scripta silenda notas.
odi ego quae numquam pungunt suspiria somnos :

semper in irata palhdus esse velim.
dulcior ignis erat Paridi^ cum Graia ^ per arma

Tyndaridi poterat gaudia ferre suae : 30

dum vincunt Danai^ dum restat barbarus Hector^

ille Helenae in gremio maxima bella gerit.
aut tecum aut pro te mihi cum rivahbus arma

semper erunt : in te pax mihi nulla placet.

^ rabida Scaliger : gravida NFL,

2 haec lAvineius : et NFL.

3 iniurgia N: iniuria FL. vertas Vahlen : versat NL :
vertat F.

* tuas . . . meas Sandstrom : meas . . . tuas NFL.
« Graia Fruter : grata NFL,

203

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

love be strong. She, that hurls taunts with raving
tongue, hes grovelhng at the feet of mighty Venus ;
she throngs herself close with floeks of guardians^^
or rushes down the street hke some frenzied Maenad ;
or wild dreams fright her timid soul continually^ or
the painted portrait of some girl fills her with woe.
From all these torments of soul I draw sure auguries :
these have I learned to be the signs of constant
passion. No love is constant that cannot be provoked
to quarrel : be girls that naught may move the fate
of them that hate me.

^^ Let my comrades see the wounds where her teeth
have torn my neck ; let dark bruises show that my
love hath been with me. I would have sorrow myself
in love^, or else hear thine ; I would see thy tears or
else mine own^ that fall if ever thou sendest secret
messages with nodding brow^ or with thy fingers
writest words thou wouldst not speak aloud. I hate
those sighs that never break through sleep : 'tis for
an angry mistress I would ever be pale with longing.
Sweeter to Paris was his passion's fire^ when he must
cleave his way through the hosts of Greece ere he
could bring joy to his love^ the daughter of Tyn-
dareus. While the Danaans conquered^ while savage
Hector barred their path^ he waged a mightier war
in Helen's arms. Either with thee or for thee with
my rival will I wage truceless war : where thou art^
peace hath for me no pleasure.^

^ /.e., to excite her lover's jealousy and lure him back.
2 Lit., where thou art concerned.

203

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

VIIIaI

Gavde^ qiiod nulla est aeqiie formosa : doleres^
si qua foret : nunc sis iure superba licet.

at tibi^ qui nostro nexisti ^ retia lecto^

sit socer aeternum nec sine matre domus !

cui nunc si qua data est furandae copia noctis^

offensa illa mihi^ non tibi amica_, dedit. 40

IX

Maecenas^ eques Etrusco de sanguine regum,

intra fortunam qui cupis esse tuam^
quid me scribendi tam vastum mittis in aequor ?

non sunt apta meae grandia vela rati.
turpe est^ quod nequeas_, capiti committere pondus

et pressum inflexo mox dare terga genu.
omnia non pariter rerum sunt omnibus apta^

palma ^ nec ex aequo ducitur ulla iugo.
gloria Lysippo est animosa effingere signa ;

exactis Calamis se mihi iactat equis ; 10

in Veneris tabula summam sibi poscit Apelles ;

Parrhasius parva vindicat arte locum ;
argumenta magis sunt Mentoris addita formae ;

at Myos exiguum flectit acanthus iter ;

^ No hreah in NFL, separated hy Butler.

2 nexisti Priscianus and Diomedes : tendisti NFL,

3 palma r : flamma NFL,

204

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

VIIIa

Rejoice that none is fair as thou ! Thou wouldst
grieve if there were an^^ But now thou hast just
cause for pride.

^'^ But for thee^ that didst spread a snare for our
love^ may thy wifes father Uve for ever and thy house
ne'er have peace from her mother ! If ever thou
wast granted the boon of one stolen night^ 'twas
anger against me^ not love for thee^ that made her
grant it.

IX

Maecenas^ knight sprung from the blood of Tuscan
kings^ that wouldst fain abide within thy fortune's
scope^ why dost thou launch me on so wide a sea of
song } Such spreading canvas suits not a bark like
mine.

^ It brings but shame to take upon thine head a
burden that thou canst not bear^ and soon to bow
the knee and turn in flight. All things are not meet
alike for all men ; from different heights the palm of
fame is won.^ 'Tis Lysippus' glory to mould statues
with all the fire of life ; Calamis^ methinks^ boasts the
perfection of his carven steeds ; Apelles claims his
highest glory from his painting of Venus ; Parrhasius
asserts his place by his miniature art ; groups rather
are the themes of Mentor's mould ; in the works of
Mys the acanthus winds on its brief way ; the Jove

1 The line is very obscnre. The alternative is to take iugo
= chariot-yoke and interpret "no prize is won by him whose
car runs level with another*s." Professor J. S. Keid conjectures
e Coo . . . illa — "such glory is not to be won from the Coan
[Philetean] Parnassus."

205

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

Phidiacus signo se luppiter ornat eburno ;

Praxitelen Triopos venditat ^ urbe lapis.
est quibus Eleae concurrit palma quadrigae^

est quibus in celeres gloria nata pedes ;
hic satus ad pacem^ hic castrensibus utilis armis :

naturae sequitur semina quisque suae. 20

at tua^ Maecenas^ vitae praecepta recepi^

cogor et exemplis te superare tuis.
cum tibi Romano dominas in honore secures

et liceat medio ponere iura foro ;
vel tibi Medorum pugnaces ire per hastas^^

atque onerare tuam fixa per arma domum ;
et tibi ad efFectum vires det Caesar^ et omni

tempore tam faciles insinuentur opes ;
parcis et in tenues humilem te colligis umbras :

velorum plenos subtrahis ipse sinus. 30

crede mihi^ magnos aequabunt ista Camillos

iudicia^ et venies tu quoque in ora virum^
Caesaris et famae vestigia iuncta tenebis :

Maecenatis erunt vera tropaea fides.
non ego velifera tumidum mare findo carina : ^

tota sub exiguo flumine nostra mora est.
non flebo in cineres arcem sedisse paternos

Cadmi nec septem proeha clade pari ;
nec referam Scaeas et Pergama Apollinis arces^

et Danaum decimo vere redisse rates^ 40

1 Triopos Richmond : propria NFL. venditat Burmann :
viudicat NFL.

2 hastas Markland : hostes NFL,

3 35 om, N,

206

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

of Phidias arrays himself in a statue of ivory ; the
marble in Triops' city gives Praxiteles glory. Some
race their victorious chariots ^ at EUs ; for the swift
feet of some was glory born ; one was begotten for
peace, another is meet for the weapons of war ; each
man follows the seeds of his own nature.

2^ But Ij MaecenaSj have taken to heart thy rule
of Ufe^ and am driven to vanquish thee with thine
own example. Though as a magistrate of Rome
thou mightest plant thine imperious axes where thou
wouldst and deal justice in the Forum's midst ; though
thoumightest pass throughthe fierce Medians' spears
and load thy house with trophies of arms ; though
Caesar gives thee strength for success^ and at all
seasons ready wealth pours into thy purse^ yet holdest
thou back and dost withdraw in lowly wise to modest
shades, and of thine own choice furlest the swelHng
canvas of thy sails. BeUeve me^ thy resolve shall
rival the great deeds of CamiUus^ and thou also shalt
be a name upon the Ups of men^ and thy footsteps
shaU accompany the fame of Caesar ; thy loyalty^
Maecenas^ shall be thy true trophy of triumph. I
cleave not the sweUing sea with sail-borne keel :
I do but loiter in the shelter of a Uttle stream. I
wiU not teU in tearful strain how Cadmus' citadel
sank into ashes beneath the Father's fire^^ nor of
the seven fights^ each closed with Uke disaster ;
I wiU not teU of the Scaean gate and Pergama^
ApoUo^s citadel^ nor how the Danaan ships returned
in the tenth spring^ when the wooden horse^ wrought

^ paZma quadrigae = quadriga quae palmam petit.

2 If paternos be correct (and there is no satisfactory correc-
tion), the phrase must mean *' ashes resulting from the father-
hood " of Jupiter — i.e., caused by the destruction of Semele and
the palace of Cadmus at the birth of Bacchus, when Jupiter
appeared in aU his fiery glory to Semele,

207

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

moenia cum Graio Neptunia pressit aratro

victor Palladiae ligneus artis equus.
inter Callimachi sat erit placuisse libellos

et cecinisse modis^ Dore ^ poeta^ tuis.
haec urant pueros^ haec urant scripta puellas^

meque deum clament et mihi sacra ferant !
te duce vel lovis arma canam caeloque minantem

Coeum et Phlegraeis Eurymedonta ^ iugis ;
eductosque pares silvestri ex ubere reges^ 51

ordiar et caeso moenia firma Remo^ 50

celsaque Romanis decerpta palatia tauris ^ 49

crescet et ingenium sub tua iussa meum !
prosequar et currus utroque ab litore ovantes,

Parthorum astutae tela remissa fugae^
castraque Pelusi Romano subruta ferro^

Antonique graves in sua fata manus.
moDis tu coeptae fautor cape lora iuventae^

dexteraque immissis da mihi signa rotis.
hoc mihi^ Maecenas^ laudis concedis^ et a te est

quod ferar in partes ipse fuisse tuas. 60

1 Dore Scriverius : dure NFL,

2 Eurymedonta HuscKke : oromedonta NFL,

3 49 and 51 transposed hy Peiper,

208

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

by the cunning of Pallas^ won the day and made
the walls, that Neptune built^ to be razed by the
Greek plough. Enough for me to have found accept-
ance among the books of CaUimachus and to have
sung, O Dorian poet^ in strains Hke thine. Let my
writings kindle boys and girls to love ! Let them
acclaim me as a god and bring me sacrifice !

*^ Be thou my leader^ then will I sing of the arms
of Jove, of Coeus threatening heaven and Eurymedon
on Phlegra's hills : then will I set forth to tell of
the kings that were reared together at the wild
beast's teat^ of the walls that were established by
the slaying of Remus^ and of the lofty Palatine
grazed by the steers of Rome ; and my wit shall
grow to the height of thy commands. I will hymn
thy chariots that triumph from the East and from
the West^ the shafts now idle of the Parthian's
crafty flight^ the camp of Pelusium o'erthrown by
the sword of Rome^ and Antony whose own hands
wrought his doom.

^' Do thou but grant thy kindly favour^ take the
reins that guide my youthful course and give me
favouring applause when my wheels speed forth in
the race. This is tlie glory thou grantest me,
Maecenas, and to thee 'tis due that men shall say
that I, even I, have followed thine example.

209

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

X

MiRABAR, quidnam misissent mane Camenae^

ante meiim stantes sole rubente torum.
natalis nostrae signum misere puellae

et manibus faustos ter crepuere sonos.
transeat hic sine nube dies^ stent aere venti,

ponat et in sicco molliter unda minax.
aspiciam nullos hodierna luce dolentes^

et Niobae lacrimas supprimat ipse lapis^
alcyonum positis requiescant ora querehs^

increpet absumptum nec sua mater Ityn. 1 0

tuque^ o cara mihi^ felicibus edita pennis^

surge et poscentes iusta precare deos.
ac primum pura somnum tibi discute lympha_,

et nitidas presso pollice finge comas :
dein qua primum oculos cepisti veste Properti

indue^ nec vacuum flore rehnque caput ;
et pete^ qua polles^ ut sit tibi forma perennis^

inque meum semper stent tua regna caput.
inde coronatas ubi ture piaveris aras^

luxerit et tota flamma secunda domo^ 20

sit mensae ratio^ noxque inter pocula currat^

et crocino nares murreus ungat onyx.
tibia nocturnis succumbat rauca choreis^

et sint nequitiae Hbera verba tuae^
dulciaque ingratos adimant convivia somnos,

publica vicinae perstrepat aura viae :
210

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

X

I woNDERED wliat omen the Muses had sent me as
they stood before my couch in the red sunhght
of dawn. They sent me a token that 'twas the
birthday of my mistress^ and thrice with propitious
sound they clapped their hands. May this day pass
to its close without a cloud^ may the winds be motion-
less in heaven^ and may the threatening wave sink to
cahn on the dry shore. To-day may I see none that
mourn^ and may even the rock that is Niobe wdth-
hold its tears. May the sea-birds' mouths have rest^
hushed from their waiHng^ and the mother of Itys
cease to moan his death.

^^ And do thou_, beloved^ born under happy augu-
ries. rise and pray to the gods that demand their due
ofFering. First with pure water wash sleep from off
thee^ and with thy linger's impress tire thy shining
hair. Next don that robe wherein thou first didst
snare the eyes of Propertius^ and let thy brows not
lack a crown of flowers. And pray that the beauty
that is thy might may endure alway^ and that thou
mayest be the queen of my heart for ever. Then
when thou hast appeased the wreathed altars with
incense and their fire hath flashed its blessing through
all the house^ give thy thoughts to feasting. Let night
speed mid the wine-cup^ and let the casket of yellow
onyx make glad our nostrils with oil of saffron ; let
the hoarse pipe blow for the midnight dance till it
give o'er for weariness^ and let thy wanton words
come fast and free. Let the merry banquet keep
unwelcome slumbers far^ and let the air of the neigh-
bouring street ring loud that all niay hear. Let us

211

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

sit sors et nobis talorum interprete iactu,
quem gravibus pennis verberet ille puer.

cum fuerit multis exacta trientibus hora^

noctis et instituet sacra ministra Venus^ 30

annua solvamus thalamo sollemnia nostro^
nataUsque tui sic peragamus iter.

XI

QviD mirare, meam si versat femina vitam

et trahit addictum sub sua iura virum^
criminaque ignavi capitis mihi turpia fingis^

quod nequeam fracto rumpere vincla iugo ?
venturam meUus praesagit navita mortem/

vulneribus didicit miles habere metum.
ista ego praeterita iactavi verba iuventa :

tu nunc exemplo disce timere meo.
Colchis flagrantes adamantina sub iuga tauros

egit et armigera proeHa sevit humo^ 10

custodisque feros clausit serpentis hiatus^

iret ut Aesonias aurea lana domos.
ausa ferox ab equo quondam oppugnare sagittis

Maeotis Danaum Penthesilea rates ;
aurea cui postquam nudavit cassida frontem^,

vicit victorem candida forma virum.
Omphale in tantum formae processit honorem^

Lydia Gygaeo tincta puella lacu,

1 venturam NFL^ perhaps corrupt : ventorum S, G, Owen.
mortem NFL : motum S. G. Oiven.

212

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

cast lots^ let the fall of the dice reveal to us those
whom the boy god lashes with heavy pinions. And
then when the hours have been sped by many a
goblet and Venus appoints those mysteries that
wait on night^ let us with all solemnity perform the
anniversary^s rite in our chamber, and thus complete
the path of thy natal day.

XI

Why marvellest thou that a woman sways my life
and drags my manhood captive beneath her rule ?
Why falsely dost thou hurl at me the foul taunt of
cowardice^ because I cannot snap my chains and break
my yoke ? 'Tis the mariner best foretells his coming
doom^ 'tis wounds that teach the soldier fear. I once
spake boasts Hke thine in my past youth : now let my
example teach thee to be afraid.

^ The witch of Colchis drove the fiery bulls beneath
the adamantine yoke and sowed battles in the war-
rior-bearing earth^ and closed the fierce^ gaping jaws
of the guardian snake^ that the fleece of gold might
go to Aeson's halls. Maeotian Penthesilea once dared
on horseback to assail the Danaan ships with her
arrows^ even she whose bright beauty conquered the
conquering hero, when the helm of gold laid bare her
brow. Omphale^ the maid of Lydia, bathed in the
Gygean lake^ rose to such renown of beauty that

213

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

ut^ qui pacato statuisset in orbe columnas,

tam dura traheret mollia pensa manu. 20

Persarum statuit Babylona Semiramis urbem^

ut solidum cocto tolleret aggere opus^
et duo in adversum mitti ^ per moenia currus

nec possent tacto stringere ab axe latus ;
duxit et Euphratem medium^ quam condidit^ arcis^^

iussit et imperio subdere ^ Bactra caput.
nam quid ego heroas^ quid raptem in crimine
divos ?

luppiter infamat seque suamque domum.
quid^ modo quae nostris opprobria vexerit armis

et famulos inter femina trita suos^ 80

coniugis obsceni pretium Romana poposcit

moenia et addictos in sua regna Patres ?
noxia Alexandria^ dolis aptissima tellus^

et totiens nostro Memphi cruenta malo,
tris ubi Pompeio detraxit harena triumphos !

tollet nulla dies hanc tibi^ Roma^ notam.
issent Phlegraeo mehus tibi funera campo^

vel tua si socero colla daturus eras.
scilicet incesti meretrix regina Canopi,

una Philippeo sanguine adusta nota^ 40

ausa lovi nostro latrantem opponere Anubim,

et Tiberim Nih cogere ferre minas^
Romanamque tubam crepitanti pellere sistro^

baridos et contis rostra Liburna sequi,

1 mitti Tyrrell : niissi NFL.

2 quam FL : qua N. arcis Baehrens : arces NFL.

3 subdere Burmann : surgere NFL.
214

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

he^ who had set up his pillars in the world he had
tamed to peace^ with horny hands plucked soft tasks
of wool. Semiramis stabhshed Babylon^ the Persian's
city^ in such wise that it rose a soHd mass with wall
of brick, and two chariots might be sent to meet
each other nor graze their sides with touching axles ;
and through the midst of the citadel which she
founded she led Euphrates^ and bade Bactra bow its
head to her sway.

-' Why should I tell of heroes^ why taunt the
gods with sin f Jove brings shame on himself and
on his house, Why should I tell of her that of late
heaped insults on our arms^ that woman who found
lovers even among her slaves^ and claimed the walls
of Rome and the Senate enslaved to her tyranny as
a fee from her foul paramour ? Guilty Alexandria^
land most skilled in guile^ and Memphis so often
bloodstained with our woe^ where the sand robbed
Pompey of his three triumphs ! No day shall ever free
thee of this stain^ O Rome I Better for thee^ Pompey^
had thy funeral gone forth on the Phlegrean plain^^
or hadst thou been doomed to bow thy neck to thy
wife's father ! Forsooth the harlot queen of unchaste
Canopus, the one disgrace branded on Rome by the
race of PhiUp^ dared to match barking Anubis against
our Roman Jove^ to force Tiber to endure the threats
of Nile^ to drive out the Roman trumpet with rattUng
sistrum ^ and with poled barge to pursue the Libur-
nian galley^ to stretch her foul curtains ^ on the

^ Pompey fell ill at Naples in 50 B.C. Propertius says he
would have been happier had he died then. The Phlegrean
pljiins are near Naples. See Index.

2 The sistrum was a rattle used in the worship of Isis.

3 I.e.j mosquito-nets.

215

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

foedaque Tarpeio conopia tendere saxo^

iura dare et statuas inter et arma Mari. 46

septem urbs alta iugis, toto quae praesidet orbi^ 57

femineas ^ timuit territa Marte minas.^ 58

quid nunc Tarquinii fractas iuvat esse secures, 47

nomine quem simili vita superba notat,
si mulier patienda fuit ? cape^ Roma, triumphum

et longum Augusto salva precare diem ! 50

fugisti tamen in timidi vaga ^ flumina Nili :

accepere tuae Romula vincla manus.
bracchia spectavi sacris admorsa colubris^

et trahere occultum membra soporis iter.
^^ Non hoc, Roma^ fui ^ tanto tibi cive verenda ! "

dixit et assiduo hngua sepulta mero. 56

Curtius expletis statuit monumenta lacunis^ 6l

at Decius misso proeUa rupit equo,
CocHtis abscissos testatur semita pontes,

est ^ cui cognomen corvus habere dedit :
haec di condiderant^ haec di quoque moenia
servant :

vix timeat salvo Caesare Roma lovem.
nunc ubi Scipiadae classes^ ubi signa CamilH_,

aut modo Pompeia Bospore capta manu, 6S

Hannibalis spolia et victi monumenta Syphacis^ 59

et Pyrrhi ad nostros gloria fracta pedes ? ^ 60

1 femineo Postgate : femiiieas NFL.

2 57. 58 transposed hy Butlcr after 46. 5S om. N,

3 vaga r : vada NFL. 4 fui r : f uit NFL,

5 est Fuccius : et NFL.

6 5e9, 60 transposed hy Passerat after 68.

216

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

Tarpeian rock^ and to give judgment amid the arms
and statues of Marius. The city high-throned on the
seven hills^ the queen of all the world^ was terrified
by a woman's might and feared her threats ! What
boots it now to have broken the axes of Tarquin^ whose
proud ]ife brands him with the name of '^ proud/' if
we must needs endure a woman's tyranny ? Rome^
take thy triumph and^ saved from doom^ implore
long Ufe for Augustus. Yet didst thou fly^ O queen^
to the wandering streams of timorous Nile ! Thy
hands received the chains of Rome. I saw her arms
bitten by the sacred asps^ I saw her Umbs drink in
slumber as it worked its secret way. '^ Thou needst
not have feared me^ Rome^ with such a citizen to
guard thee ! " so spake even the tongue that deep
draughts of wine had enslaved.

^^ Curtius closed the gulf and made himself an ever-
lasting memorial : Decius brake the battle-Une with
charging steed ; the path of Cocles stiU teUs of the
cutting of the bridge : and one there is who won his
name from a raven. The gods founded these waUs,
and the gods protect them ; while Caesar Uves scarce
should Rome fear the wrath of Jove ! Now where
are Scipio's fleets^ where the standards of CamiUus^
or thou^ O Bosporus^ so lately captured by the might
of Pompey } Where are the spoils of Hannibal and
thetrophies of conquered Syphax^ and Pyrrhus' glory

217

SEXTI PROPERTl ELEGIARVM LIBER III

Leucadius versas acies memorabit Apollo : 69

tantum operis belli sustulit una dies. 70

at tu^ sive petes portus seu^ navita, linques^
Caesaris in toto sis memor lonio.

XII

PosTVME^ plorantem potuisti linquere Gallam^

miles et Augusti fortia signa sequi ?
tantine ulla fuit spoliati gloria Parthi^

ne faceres ^ Galla multa rogante tua ?
si fas est_, omnes pariter pereatis avari^

et quisquis fido praetulit arma toro !
tu tamen iniecta ^ tectus, vesane, lacerna

potabis galea fessus Araxis aquam.
illa quidem interea fama tabescet inani,

haec tua ne virtus fiat amara tibi^ 10

neve tua Medae laetentur caede sagittae^

ferreus aurato neu cataphractus equo^
neve aliquid de te flendum referatur in urna :

sic redeunt^^ illis qui cecidere locis.
ter quater in casta felix, o Postume_, Galla !

moribus his alia coniuge dignus eras !
quid faciet nullo munita puella timore,

cum sit luxuriae Roma magistra suae ? ^
sed securus eas : Gallam non munera vincent_,

duritiaeque tuae non erit illa memor. 20

1 faceres N : facias FL. 2 iuiecta Itali : iutecta NFL,

3 sic redeunt 5" : si creduut N : si credent FL,

4 suae r ; tuae NFL,

218

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

broken beneath our feet ? Leucadian Apollo shall
tell how the hosts were turned to flight : one day of
war swept away so vast an armament ! But do thou^
O mariner^ whether thou seekest or leavest the haven^
remember Caesar o'er all the lonian main.

XII

PosTUMUs^ hadst thou the heart to leave Galla weep-
ing and to follow the gallant standards of Augustus
to the wars ? Was any glory from Parthia's spoils
worth aught to thee^ when thy Galla oft prayed
thee not to go ? If it be lawful^ may all ye that
are greedy for gold perish aUke^ and with you the
man that loves arms more than a faithful bride !

'^ Yet thou^ madman^ with thy cloak cast about thee
for covering shalt drink the water of Araxes from
thy helmet when thou art weary ; and she meanwhile
will pine at each idle rumour^ for fear lest thy valour
cost thee dear^ or lest the Median arrows rejoice
in thy death or the mailed soldier on his gilded
steed ; or lest some scanty reHcs of thee be brought
home in an urn for her to weep ; thus they return
that perish in those lands.

i^ Thrice and four times blest^ O Postumus^ art
thou in Galla's chastity ! With a heart like thine
thou w ast worthy of a different spouse ! What will a
woman do with no fear for safeguard^ when there is
Rome to teach its luxury ? But go without fear ; no
gifts shall conquej* Galla and she will not remember

219

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

nam quocumque die salvum te fata remittent^

pendebit collo Galla pudica tuo.
Postumus alter erit miranda coniuge Vlixes :

non illi longae tot nocuere morae^
castra decem annorum^ et Ciconum mons Ismara,
Calpe^

exustaeque tuae mox^ Polypheme^ genae^
et Circae fraudes^ lotosque herbaeque tenaces^

Scyllaque et alternas scissa Charybdis aquas^
Lampeties Ithacis veribus mugisse iuvencos

(paverat hos Phoebo filia Lampetie), 30

et thalamum Aeaeae flentis fugisse puellae^

totque hiemis noctes totque natasse dies^
nigrantesque domos animarum intrasse silentum^

Sirenum surdo remige adisse lacus^
et veteres arcus leto renovasse procorum^

errorisque sui sic statuisse modum.
nec frustra^ quia casta domi persederat uxor.

vincit Penelopes Aelia ^ Galla fidem.

XIII

QvAERiTis^ unde avidis nox sit pretiosa puellis^
et Venerem exhaustae damna querantur opes.

certa quidem tantis causa et manifesta ruinis ;
luxuriae nimium hbera facta via est.

Inda cavis aurum mittit formica metalUs^
et venit e Rubro concha Erycina salo^

1 Aelia Passerat : laelia NFL,
220

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

thy cruelty. For whensoe'er fate sends thee home
in safety, chaste Galla shall hang about thy neck.
Postumus shall be another Ulysses with a wife to wake
men's wonder : no hurt did Ulysses sufFer from his
long tarrying, no hurt from the ten years' leaguer,
from Ismara the Ciconians' niount, from Calpe^ and
thereafter the burning of tliine eye^ O Polyphemus ;
no hurt from the guile of Circe^ the lotos with its
binding spell^ nor from Scylla and Charybdis, cloven
with alternate ebb and flow^ nor when Lampetie's
oxen bellowed on the Ithacan spits (Lampetie,
Phoebus' daughter^ had pastured them for her sire),
nor when he fled from the couch of Aeaea's weeping
queen^ or swam the deep so many nights and days^
entered the dark halls of the silent ghosts^ and with
his rowers drew nigh the Siren's pools^, revived his
ancient bow with the suitors' slaughter^ and thus set
a term to his wanderings. And not in vain^ for his
wife had remained true to him at home. Aeha Galla
shall surpass Penelope's fideHty.

XIII

Ye ask, wherefore the greed of women makes their
love so costly^ and wherefore our empty coffers cry
out that Venus has been their bane. Clear and
undoubted is the cause of such vast ruin ; the path
of luxury has grown overfree. The Indian ant ^
sends gold from the caves of the mine^ the nautilus

1 Both Pliny and Herodotus assert that somewhere in
India gold-dust was brought from underground by ants in
winter, and in summer stolen by the Indians, the ants having
retired to their nests owing to the heat.

221

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

et Tyros ostrinos praebet Cadmea colores^
cinnamon et multi pastor odoris Arabs :
haec etiam claiisas expugnant arma pudicas,

quaeque gerunt ^ fastus^ Icarioti^ tuos. 1 0

matrona incedit census induta nepotum

et spolia opprobrii nostra per ora trahit.
nulla est poscendi^ nulla est reverentia dandi^

aut si qua est^ pretio tolHtur ipsa mora.
fehx Eois lex funeris una maritis^

quos Aurora suis rubra colorat equis !
namque ubi mortifero iacta est fax ultima lecto^

uxorum fusis stat pia turba comis^
et certamen habent leti^ quae viva sequatur

coniugium : pudor est non hcuisse mori. 20

ardent victrices et flammae pectora praebent^

imponuntque suis ora perusta viris.
hoc genus infidum nuptarum^ hic nulla puella

nec fida Euadne nec pia Penelope.
feUx agrestum quondam pacata iuventus^
divitiae quorum messis et arbor erant !
ilhs munus erant decussa^ Cydonia ramo,

et dare puniceis plena canistra rubis^
nunc violas tondere manu^ nunc mixta referre

hha virgineos lucida per calathos^ 30

et portare suis vestitas frondibus uvas

aut variam plumae versicoloris ^ avem.
his tum blanditiis furtiva per antra puellae
oscula silvicohs empta dedere viris.

1 gerunt Scioppius : terunt NFL.

2 decussa FL : discussa N.

3 versicoloris T : viricoloris NFL : vitricoloris Ellis.

222

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

shell comes from the Red Sea ; Cadmean Tyre sends
hues of purple_, and the Arab shepherd rich-scented
cinnamon. These weapons storm the hearts even of
close-guarded virgins and such as are cold as thou^ O
daughter of Icarius. Matrons go forth arrayed in
spendthrifts' fortunes and flaunt the spoils of infamy
before our eyes. No shame is there in asking or in
giving ; or if any there be^ even reluctance is banished
at a price.

^^ Blest is that peerless law for the burial of Eastern
husbands^ whom the crimson dawn colours with her
steeds ! For when the last torch is set to the dead
man's bier his wives stand round^ a pious company
with streaming hair, and struggle for death one with
another^ who living shall follow her dead lord ; 'tis
shame to be debarred from death. The victors burn
and offer their breasts to the flame and ]ay charredfaces
on their husband's body. But here the race of brides
is faithless ; here doth no woman show Evadne's faith
or Penelope's loyalty.

^^ Happy the young that dwelt in peace of old^
whose wealth was in harvest and orchard. Their
ofFerings were Cydonian apples shaken from the
bough ; they gave baskets filled with purple brambles,
now with their hands plucked violets^ now brought
home shining lilies mingled together in the maidens'
paniers^ and carried grapes clad in their own leaves
or some dappled bird of rainbow plumage. Bought
by such wooing as this were the kisses that girls
gave their silvan lovers in secret caves. A roe-

22S

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

hinnulei ^ pellis totos operibat amantis^

altaque nativo creverat herba toro^
pinus et incumbens laetas ^ circumdabat umbras ;

nec fuerat nudas poena videre deas ;
corniger atque dei vacuam pastoris in aulam

dux aries saturas ipse reduxit oves ; 40

dique deaeque omnes^ quibus est tutela per agros^

praebebant nostris ^ verba benigna focis :
^^ Et leporem^ quicumque venis, venaberis^ hospes_,

et si forte meo tramite quaeris avem :
et me Pana tibi comitem de rupe vocato^

sive petes calamo praemia^ sive cane."
at nunc desertis cessant sacraria lucis :

aurum omnes victa iam pietate colunt.
auro pulsa fides^ auro venalia iura^

aurum lex sequitur^ mox sine lege pudor. 50

torrida sacrilegum testantur limina ^ Brennum^

dum petit intonsi Pythia regna dei :
at mox ^ laurigero concussus vertice diras

Gallica Parnasus sparsit in arma nives.
te ^ scelus accepto Thracis Polymestoris auro

nutrit in hospitio non^ Polydore_, pio.'
tu quoque ut auratos gereres^ Eriphyla^ lacertos^

dilapsis nusquam est Amphiaraus equis.

^ hinnulei Scaliger : atque hinuli N : atque humili FL.
2 letas i^; lentas iVZ. 3 no&iYi^ Butler : vestris iVi^Z.
4 limina N : lumina FL. 5 mox FL: mons N,

6 te Itali: et NFL. 7 pio N: tuo FL.

224

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

deer^s skin was enough to cover two lovers^ and
the grass grew tall to make them natiire's couch.
The pine bowed o'er them and cast its rich shade
about them ; nor was it a sin to see goddesses naked :
the horned ram of his own accord led back his ewes
sated with grazing to the emptyfold of the shepherd
god. All gods and goddesses that guard the coun-
tryside spake kindly words to the hearths of men.
''- Stranger^ w^hoe'er thou art that comest^ thou shalt
hunt the hare in my paths or the bird^ if bird thou
seekest : and whether thou pursuest thy prize with
lime-rod orwith hound^ call me Pan from the crag to
be thy comrade."

^'^ But now the shrines lie neglected in deserted
groves : piety is vanquished and all men worship gold.
Gold has banished faith^ gold has made judgment to
be boughtand sold^ gold rules the law^ and^ law once
gone^ rules chastity as well.

^^ Portals of burning fire ^ bear witness to the
sacrilege of Brennus^ when he assailed the Pythian
realms of the god unshorn : and soon Parnassus
shook its laurel-bearing peak and scattered its snows
over the arms of Gaul. Thee^ Polydorus^ did guilty
Polymestor^ bought by the gold of Thrace^ nurture
with treacherous hospitality. That thou too^ Eri-
phyla^ mightest deck thy shoulders with gold, the
steeds of Amphiaraus are sunken and earth knows
him no more.

1 See p. 157, note 2. The Gauls were discomfited by
thunder and lightning, a snowstorm and a fall of rocks from
Parnassus according to Pausanias.

P 225

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III <

proloquar : — atque utinam patriae sirn verus
haruspex ! —

frangitur ipsa suis Roma superba bonis. 60

certa loquor^ sed nulla fides ; neque enim Ilia
quondam

verax Pergameis Maenas habenda malis :
sola Parim Phrygiae fatum componere/sola

fallacem patriae serpere dixit equum.
ille furor patriae fuit utiUs^ ille parenti :

experta est veros irrita lingua deos.

XIV

MvLTA tuae^ Sparte^ miramur iura palaestrae^

sed mage virginei tot bona gymnasii^
quod non infames exercet corpore ludos ^

inter luctantes nuda puella viros^
cum pila veloces falUt per bracchia iactus^

increpat et versi clavis adunca trochi^
pulverulentaque ad extremas stat femina metas^

et patitur duro vulnera pancratio :
nunc ligat ad caestum gaudentia bracchia loris^

missile nunc disci pondus in orbe rotat^ 10

et modo Taygeti^ crines aspersa pruina^ 1 5

sectatur patrios per iuga longa canes^^ l6

gyrum pulsat equis^ niveum latus ense revincit^ 1 1

virgineumque cavo protegit aere caput^

1 ludos Auratus : laudes NFL.

2 i«5, 16 transposed after 10 hy Housman.

226

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

^^ I will speak out ; and may my country find me
a true seer ! Rome is being shattered by her own
prosperity. I speak sure truth^but none believe me ;
for neither was the frenzied maid of nium ever to
be deemed a true seer amid the woes of Troy : she
only cried that Paris was building Phrygia's doom^
she only that, freighted with treachery^ the horse
stole on her home. Her madness carried profit for
her country and for her sire. The tongue that none
believed proved that the gods were true.

XIV

At many of the laws of thy wrestling-grounds do I
marvel^ O Sparta^ but most at the plenteous blessings
of the schools where thy women train^ inasmuch as
a girl may without blame disport her body naked
among wrestling men^ when the swift-thrown ball
cheats the p]ayer's grasp and the hooked rod clanks
against the rolUng hoop^ and dust-besprinkled the
woman stands at the race's furthestgoal and endures
wounds in the cruel boxing-match.i Now she binds
the glove to her hands that rejoice in its thongs^ now
whirls in a circle the discus' flying weight ; now with
hoar-frost sprinkhng herhair she follows her father's
hounds o'er the long ridges of Taygetus, now tramples
the ring with her steeds^ girds the sword to her
snowy flank and shields her virgin head with hollow

1 The pancratium has no English eqiiivalent : it was a
rough-and-tumble fight combining boxing and wrestling.

227

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

qualis Amazonidum nudatis bellica mammis

Thermodontiacis turba lavatur aquis ; 14

qualis et Eurotae Pollux et Castor harenis/ 17

hic victor pugnis^ ille futurus equis^
inter quos Helene nudis capere arma papiUis

fertur nec fratres erubuisse deos. 20

lex igitur Spartana vetat secedere amantes^

et Hcet in triviis ad latus esse suae^
nec timor aut ulla est clausae tutela puellae^

nec gravis austeri poena cavenda viri.
nullo praemisso de rebus tute loquaris

ipse tuis : longae nulla repulsa morae.
nec Tyriae vestes errantia himina falhmt^

est neque odoratae cura molesta comae.^
at nostra ingenti vadit circumdata turba^

nec digitum angusta est inseruisse via ; 30

nec quae sint facies nec quae sint verba rogandi

invenias : caecum versat amator iter.
quod si iura fores pugnasque imitata Laconum^

carior hoc esses tu mihi^ Roma^ bono.

XV

Sic ego non uUos iam norim in amore tumultus^
nec veniat sine te nox vigilanda mihi !

ut mihi praetexti pudor est velatus amictus ^
et data libertas noscere amoris iter^

1 harenis Volscus : habenis iV.' athenis i^Z.

2 odoratae FL : adoratae N. comae Canter : domi NFL.

3 praetexti iV.- praetexta i^Z. amictusi/; amicus iVi^.

228

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

bronze^ like the warrior throng of Amazons who
bathe bare-bosomed in Thermodon's stream, or as
PoUux and Castor on Eurotas' sands^ the one destined
to conquer with his fists^ the other with his steeds :
amid these twain^ men say^ Helen bared her breasts
and carried arms_, nor called a blush to her brother's
cheek.

21 Thus Sparta's law forbids lovers to hold aloof
and grants to each to walk by his mistress' side in the
open streets ; there none fear for her honour nor keep
her under watch and ward : there none need dread
the bitter vengeance of some stern husband. Thou
needst no herald ; thyself thou mayst speak of thine
own business ; no long delay shall aHront thee. No
rairnent of Tyrian purple beguiles the wandering
eyes of lovers^ nor shall thy mistress vex thee with
long tiring of her scented hair.

^^ But here my love goes girt by a vast crowd,
leaving no narrow passage whereby so much as a
finger may reach her. Nor canst thou discover what
mien to wear nor with what words to proffer thy re-
quest : shrouded in darkness is the path o'er which
the lover ponders. But if thou^ O Rome^ wouldst but
foUow the laws and wrestHng of the Spartans^ then
wouldst thou be the dearer to me for this blessing.

XV

So may I know no further storms in my love, nor
may ever the niglit come whereon I must Ue wakeful
without thee ! VVhen the modesty of my boyhood's
garb^ was hidden away^ and freedom was given me

1 Before the age of puberty boys wore a striped toga
{praetexta), Oii reachiiig piiberty they assuined the toga
virUh, which was all of white.

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

illa rudes animos per noctes conscia primas
imbuit^ heu nullis capta Lycinna datis !

tertius (haud multo minus est) cum ducitur annus^
vix memini nobis verba coisse decem.

cuncta tuus sepehvit amor^ nec femina post te

ulla dedit collo dulcia vincla meo. 10

^ testis erit Dirce tam vero crimine saeva^

Nycteos Antiopen accubuisse Lyco.
a quotiens pulchros ussit regina capillos^

molliaque immites ^ fixit in ora manus !
a quotiens famulam pensis oneravit iniquis^

et caput in dura ponere iussit humo !
saepe illam immundis passa est habitare tenebris_,

vilem ieiunae saepe negavit aquam.
luppiter^ Antiopae nusquam succurris habenti

tot mala ? corrumpit dura catena manus. 20

si deus es^ tibi turpe tuam servire puellam :

invocet Antiope quem nisi vincta ^ lovem ?
sola tamen^ quaecumque aderant in corpore vires^

regales manicas rupit utraque manu.
inde Cithaeronis timido pede currit in arces.

nox erat^ et sparso triste cubile gelu.
saepe vago * Asopi sonitu permota fluentis

credebat dominae pone venire pedes.

^ At this point NFL marh a new elegy. Some verses have
clearly fallen out.

2 immites^: immittens iVi^Z.

3 viiictaS": YiGta NFL. 4 vago jP; vaga iVX.

230

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

to know the patlis of love^ 'twas she^ Lycinna^ won^ ah
me ! by no gifts of mine^ that initiated my innocent
soul on those first nights wherein she shared my love,
'Tis now the third year since then^ but Uttle less^ and
I can scarce remember that ten words have passed
between us. All things thy love has buried, nor since
thee has any woman cast sweet chains about my neck.
[Spm^e Lycinna, lest vengeance fall on thee .'] Dirce
shail be my witness^ Dirce maddened with anger by
the tale none rnight gainsay, that Antiope^ daughter
of Nycteus^ had lain with Lycus. Ah ! how often
did the queen burn her fair tresses and clutch her
tender face with relentless hands ! How often she
loaded her handmaid with unjust tasks and bade
her lay her head upon the hard ground ! Often she
suffered her to dwell in foul darkness^ oft she refused
even worthless w^ater to allay her thirst. Jove, wilt
thou never aid Antiope so deep in woe ? The
hard chains gall her hands. If thou art a god^ 'tis
shame that she whom thou didst love should be a
slave ; on whom should Antiope call from her chains
save on Jove ? Yet unaided^ summoning all her
body's strength^ with either hand she brake the
tyrant chains. Then with trembUng feet she ran to
the heights of Cithaeron. 'Twas night^ and her
couch was bitter with scattered frost. Oft scared by
the wandering sound of the rushing Asopus^ she
deemed that the feet of her mistress were pursuing.

231

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

et durum Zethum et lacrimis Amphiona mollem

experta est stabulis ^ mater abacta suis. 30

ac veluti_, magnos cum ponunt aequora motus^

Eurus ubi adverso desinit ire Noto^,^
litore sic tacito sonitus rarescit harenae,

sic cadit inflexo lapsa puella genu.
sera^ tamen pietas : natis est cognitus error.

digrie lovis natos qui tueare senex^
tu reddis pueris matrem ; puerique trahendam

vinxerunt Dircen sub trucis ora bovis.
Antiope^ cognosce lovem : tibi gloria Dirce

ducitur in multis mortem habitura locis. 40

prata ^ cruentantur Zethi^ victorque canebat

paeana Amphion rupe^ Aracynthe^ tua.
at tu non meritam parcas vexare Lycinnam :

nescit vestra ruens ira referre pedem.
fabula nulla tuas de nobis concitet aures :

te solam et Hgnis funeris ustus amem.

XVI

Nox media_, et dominae mihi venit epistula nostrae :

Tibure me missa iussit adesse mora^
candida qua geminas ostendunt culmina turres^

et cadit in patulos nympha Aniena lacus.
quid faciam ? obductis committam mene tenebris^

ut timeam audaces in mea membra manus ?

1 stabulis 5" : tabulis NFL.

2 ubi adverrio . . . Noto Lachmann : sub adverso . . . notho
N: in adversos . . . notos i^Z. 3 prata^: parta iVi^X.

232

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

Her tears found Zethus uiimoved and Amphion
pitiful^ when she^ their mother, was driven from the
steading that was of riglit her own. And as when
the waves give over their huge heavings, what time
the East Wind ceases to strive with the wind of
the South-West^ and so the shore is stilled and the
sound of the wave-swept sand grow^s less and less^ so
gradually sank she down on her bended knee. At
length^ though late^ they showed their love ; her sons
knew their error. Worthj^ wert thou, old man^ to
tend the sons of Jove ; thou didst restore the mother
to her boys^ and they bound Dirce beneath the head
of a fierce bull to be dragged to death. Antiope,
recognise the power of Jove ! Dirce_, now thy proud
boast^ is drawn along to find death in many a spot.
The fields of Zethus are red with blood^ and Amphion
sang the paean of victory on thy rocks, O Aracynthus.
^^ But do thou spare to torment guiltless Lycinna :
anger of jealous w oman knows no turning back. And
may no tale concerning us ever alarm thine ears ;
may I love thee only even when the funeral pile
hath consumed me.

XVI

'TwAS midnight when a letter came to me from my
mistress bidding me come without delay to Tibur^
where the white hills heave up their towers to right
and left and Anio's waters phnige into spreading
pools. What sliould I do ? Trust niyself to the
dark that shrouded all and tremble lest my Hmbs
should be gri})ped by ruffian hands ? Yet if 1 should

233

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

at si distulero liaec nostro mandata timore^

noeturno fletus saevior hoste mihi.
peccaram semel^ et totum sum pulsus ^ in annum :

in me mansuetas non habet illa manus. 10

nec tamen est quisquam^ sacros qui laedat amantes :

Scironis media sic Hcet ^ ire via.
quisquis amator erit^ Scythicis Hcet ambulet ^ oris^

nemo adeo ^ ut noceat barbarus esse volet.
luna ministrat iter^ demonstrant astra salebras^

ipse Amor accensas praecutit ^ ante faces^
saeva canum rabies morsus avertit hiantis :

huic generi quovis tempore tuta via est.
sanguine tam parvo quis enim spargatur amantis

improbus^ et cuius sit ^ comes ipsa Venus ? 20

quod si certa meos sequerentur funera casus^

tah ^ mors pretio vel sit emenda mihi.
afferet huc unguenta mihi sertisque sepulcrum

ornabit custos ad mea busta sedens.
di faciant^ mea ne terra locet ossa frequenti^

qua facit assiduo tramite vulgus iter !
post mortem tumuh sic infamantur amantum.

me tegat arborea devia terra coma^
aut humer ignotae cumulis vallatus harenae :

non iuvat in media nomen habere via. 30

1 pulsus FL : portus iV.

2 sic licet 5~ : scilicet N : si licet FL,

3 Scythiae inscriptio Pompeiana^ C.L.L. 4, 1950. ambulet
inscr. Pomj). : ambulat NFL,

4 adeo itiscr. Pomp. : deo NFL : feriat inscr. Pomp.

5 praecutit Guyetus : percutit NFL.

6 et cuius sit Palmer : exclusis fit NFL.

7 tali s- : talis NFL.

234

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

put ofF obedience out of fear^ her tears would be
more terrible than any midnight foe. Once had I
sinned, and was rejected for a whole year long.
Against me her hands are merciless.

^^ Yet there is none would hurt a lover : lovers are
sacred : lovers might travel Sciron's road unscathed.
A lover^ though he walk on Scythia's shores^, will find
none so savage as to have heart to harm him. The
moon Hghts his path ; the stars show forth the rough
places^ and Love himself waves the flaming torch
before him ; the fierce watchdog turns aside his
gaping fangs. For such as him the road is safe at
any hour. Who is so cruel as to embrue his hands
in a lover's worthless blood^ above all when Venus
herself bears him company ?

21 But did I know that if I perished I should surely
receive due rites of burial;, death would be worth thg
purchase at such price. She will bring unguents to
my pyre and adorn my tomb with wreaths^ she will
sit beside my grave and keep watch there. God
grant she place not my bones in some crowded spot^
where the rabble journeys on the busy highway.
Thus after death are lovers' tombs dishonoured.
Let me be shadowed by leafy trees in some field far
from the roadside ; else let me be buried walled in
by hea})s of nameless sand. I would not that my
name should be recorded amid the bustle of the
street.

235

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

XVII

NvNc^ o Bacche^ tuis humiles advolvimur aris :

da mihi pacato vela secunda^ pater.
tu potes insanae Veneris compescere fastus^

curarumque tuo fit medicina mero.
per te iunguntur^ per te solvuntur amantes :

tu vitium ex animo dilue^ Bacche^ meo.
te quoque enim non esse rudem testatur in astris

lyncibus ad caelum vecta Ariadna tuis.
hoc mihi, quod veteres custodit in ossibus ignes^

funera sanabunt aut tua vina malum. 1 0

semper enim vacuos nox sobria torquet amantes^

spesque timorque animos ^ versat utroque modo.
quod si, Bacche^, tuis per fervida tempora donis

accersitus erit somnus in ossa mea^
ipse seram vitis pangamque ex ordine coUis^

quos carpant nullae me vigilante ferae.
dum modo purpureo cumulem ^ mihi doha musto^

et nova pressantis inquinet uva pedes^
quod superest vitae per te et tua cornua vivam^

virtutisque tuae^ Bacche^ poeta ferar. 20

dicam ego maternos Aetnaeo fulmine partus,

Indica Nysaeis arma fugata choris^
vesanumque nova nequiquam in vite Lycurgum^

Pentheos in triplices funera grata greges,

^ Sinimo& Be7'oaldus : animo NFL. ^^

2 cumulem Fostgate : numen N : numerem Z .* nuie F.

236

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

XVII

NoWj O Bacchus^ I cast me down before thine altars
in lowly supplication ; O father^ give me peace and
prosper my sails. Though Venus be frenzied^ thou
canst quell her scorn^ and woes find healing from
thy wine. By thee are lovers yoked^ by thee set
free ; do thou^ O Bacchus, wash this weakness from
my soul. Tliou also art not unversed in love ; to
that Ariadne rapt heavenward in thy lynx-drawn
car bears witness among the stars. This curse that
for many a year hath kept a fire ablaze within
my bones only death or thy wine sball heal. For
a sober night is always torment to lonely lovers,
and hope and fear rack their spirits this way and
that.

^^ But if, O Bacchus^ by thy gifts making my brain
to burn thou shalt bring sleep to rest my bones^
then will I sow vines and plant my hills with rows^
and will watch that no beasts of the wild make
havoc thereon. If only I may crown my vats with
purple must and the new grape may dye my feet
that tread the wine-press^ then through all my life
to come thou and thine horns shall give me life
and men shall call me the poet of thy virtue_,
O Bacchus.

^^ I will sing how the thunderbolt of Etna's forge
blasted thy mother^ and brought thee to the birth,
how the warriors of Ind were driven in flight by Njsa^s
dancers^ how Lycurgus maddened in vain over the
new-found vine, how Pentheus' death brought joy

1 See Semela, Index.

237

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

curvaque Tyrrhenos delpliinum corpora nautas

in vada pampinea desiluisse rate^
et tibi per mediam bene olentia flumina Diam/

unde tuum potant Naxia turba merum.
candida laxatis onerato colla corymbis

cinget Bassaricas Lydia mitra comas^ 30

levis odorato cervix manabit olivo^

et feries nudos veste fluente pedes.
mollia Dircaeae pulsabunt tympana Thebae,

capripedes calamo Panes hiante canent,
vertice turrigero iuxta dea magna Cybelle

tundet ^ ad Idaeos cymbala rauca choros.
ante fores templi crater antistitis auro

hbabit ^ fundens in tua sacra merum.
haec ego non humih referam memoranda coturnp^

quaUs Pindarico spiritus ore tonat : 40

tu modo servitio vacuum me siste superbo^

atque hoc solUcitum vince sopore caput.

XVIII

Clavsvs ab umbroso qua alludit ^ pontus Averno
umida Baiarum stagna tepentis aquae^

qua iacet et Troiae tubicen Misenus harena^
et sonat Herculeo structa labore via ;

hic, ubi, mortales dexter cum quaereret urbes_,
cymbala Thebano concrepuere deo : —

^ Diam Palnier\: Naxon NFL.

2 tundet Scaliger : f undet NFL.

3 libabit Foster : Ubatum NFL.

4 aUudit Lamhinus : 'ludit^NFL.
238

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

to the three companies of Maenads^ how the Tuscan
sailors^ turned to curved dolphin-shapes^ leapt into
the sea from the vine-clad ship^ and how fragrant
streams flowed for thee through Dia's midst and
the folk of Naxos drank thy wine therefrom. While
thy white neck bows beneath the traiHng ivy-clusters^
the Lydian turban shall crown thy hair^ O Bassareus.
Thy smooth throat shall stream with scented oil of
oHve, and thy flowing robe shall strike thy naked
feet. Dircean Thebes shall beat the womanish
timbrel for thee^ and goat-footed Pans shall make
music on the cloven reed. Hard by the great
goddess^ Cybelle^ her head tower-crowned, shall clash
the harsh cymbals to the Idaean dance. Before the
temple gates shall stand the bowl^ and the priest
shall draw wine therefrom with golden ladle and
pour it on thy sacrifice.

^^ Of all this will I sing, things meet for no lowly
accent^ but with such voice as thundered from the
lips of Pindar. Do thou only set me free from this
haughty tyranny and vanquish mine anguished soul
with slumber.

XVIII

Where the sea^ shut out from dark-shadowed Avernus^
beats with its laughing wave on Baiae's w^arm and
steaming pools^ where Misenus^ trumpeter of Troy^ lies
in his sandy tomb^ and the way built by the toil of
Hercules is loud with the sea-billow ; where the
cymbals clashed in honour of the Theban god^ when
with kindly intent he visited the cities of men — but

239

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

at nunc invisae magno cum crimine Baiae,

quis deus in vestra constitit hostis aqua ? —
hic ^ pressus Stygias vultum demisit in undas^

errat et in vestro spiritus ille lacu. 10

quid genus aut virtus aut optima profuit ilH

mater, et amplexum Caesaris esse focos ?
aut modo tam pleno fluitantia vela theatro^

et per maternas omnia gesta manus ?
occidit^ et misero steterat vicesimus annus :

tot bona tam parvo clausit in orbe dies.
i nunc^ tolle animos et tecum finge triumphos^

stantiaque in plausum tota theatra iuvent,
Attalicas supera vestes, atque omnia magnis

gemmea sint kidis : ignibus ista dabis. 20

sed tamen huc omnes^ huc ^ primus et ultimus
ordo :

est mala, sed cunctis ista terenda via est ;
exoranda canis tria sunt latrantia colla^

scandenda est torvi ^ pubhca cumba senis.
ille Hcet ferro cautus se condat et aere,

mors tamen inclusum protrahit inde caput.
Nirea non facies^ non vis exemit Achillem,

Croesum aut_, Pactoli quas parit umor opes.
[hic oHm ignaros luctus populavit Achivos,

Atridae magno cum stetit alter amor.^] 30

1 hic Gayet : his NFL.

2 huc . . . huc/; hoc . . . huc NFL,

3 toi-vi/; tortii^X; -troci iV.

* This couplet is clearly alien to its present context. It is
conceivable that it should be iransposed to follow II. VI. 16.

240

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

now^ ah^ hateful Baiae^ dark with deep guilt^ what
baleful god stands by your waters ? — here he sank
smitten down to the Stygian wave/ and that noble
spirit wanders o'er your mere.

^^ What availed him birth or virtue or his mother's
piety ? What availed him his union with the house
of Caesar^ or the waving awnings of the theatre so
thronged but yesterday^ or all that his mother's hands
had wrought for him ? He is dead^ cut short unhappy
in his twentieth year. Such glory compassed in such
narrow room !

^'^ Go to now, exalt thy soul with pride and dream
of triumphs^ rejoice when whole theatres spring to
their feet to cheer^ outdo the cloth-of-gold of Attalus^
at the great games let all be bright with gems ! All
these glories thou shalt yield up to the fires of death.
And yet hither at last come all^ come noble and come
base ; bitter is the way^ but all must tread it ; all
must assuage the triple throat of the baying hound^
and cUmb the boat of that grim greybeard that waits
for all. Though a man seek to save himself by
walls of iron and of brass^ yet death shall drag forth
his head from its sheltering place. Beauty saved
not Nireus^ nor might Achilles ; nor was Croesus
succoured by wealth born of Pactolus stream.

[^^ Such grief once wasted the perplexed Achivi^
when Atrides' new passion cost them dear.]

1 Marcellus, nephew of Augustus, died at Baiae 23 B.c.

Q 241

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

at tibi^ nauta^ pias hominum qui traicis umbras,
hoc animae portent corpus inane suae : ^

qua Siculae victor telhiris Claudius et qua
Caesar^ ab humana cessit in astra via.

XIX

Obicitvr totiens a te mihi nostra Hbido :

crede mihi^ vobis imperat ista magis.
vos^ ubi contempti rupistis frena pudoris^

nescitis captae mentis habere modum.
flamma per incensas citius sedetur aristas^

fluminaque ad fontis sint reditura caput^
et placidum Syrtes portum et bona Utora nautis

praebeat hospitio saeva Malea suo^
quam possit vestros quisquam reprehendere cursus

et rapidae stimulos frangere nequitiae. 10

testis^ Cretaei fastus quae passa iuvenci

induit abiegnae cornua falsa bovis ;
testis Thessalico flagrans Salmonis Enipeo^

quae voluit hquido tota subire deo.
crimen et illa fuit^ patria succensa senecta

arboris in frondes condita Myrrha novae.
nam quid Medeae referam^, quo tempore matris

iram natorum caede piavit amor }
quidve Clytaemestrae^ propter quam tota Mycenis

infamis stupro stat Pelopea domus ? 20

1 hoc Lachmann ; huc NFL, suae MarMand : tuae NFL,
242

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTTUS BOOK III

^i But to thee^ O ferryman of pious souls_, let them
bear this body void of its spirit ; his soul hath soared
starward far from the paths of men by the road that
Claudius and Caesar trod.

XIX

Oft thou reproachest me with the lust that rules us
men, Beheve me^ 'tis rather of your womankind that
lust is lord. Ye^ when ye have burst the reins of
despised modesty^ ne'er set a Hmit to the frenzy of
your heart. Sooner shall the flame be quenehed
amid the burning corn^ and streams return to the
fountain whence they sprang^ sooner shall the Syrtes
yield a calm haven and wild Malea give the mariner
kindly welcome on its shores^ than any man shall
have power to check you in your course or break the
goads of your headlong wantonness.

i^ Witness be she that suffered the scorn of the
Cretan bull^ and put on the false horns of the fir-
wood cow. Witness Salmoneus' daughter that burned
with passion for Thessahan Enipeus^ and was ready
to yield all her body to the watery god. Myrrha too
is a reproach to your sex^ that, fired with love for her
aged sire^ was transformed and hidden in the leaves
of a strange tree. For why should I tell of Medea^
when the mother^ dearly though she loved her chil-
dren^ appeased her anger by their slaughter } Or why
should I tell of Clytemestra^ that in Mycenae brought
shame on all the house of Pelops by her adultery ?

243

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

tiique^ o Minoa venumdata Scylla figura^

tondes ^ purpurea regna paterna coma.
hanc igitur dotem virgo desponderat hosti !

Nise^ tuas portas fraude reclusit amor.
at vos_, innuptae_, feUcius urite taedas :

pendet Cretaea tracta puella rate.
non tamen immerito Minos sedet arbiter Orci :

victor erat quamvis^ aequus in hoste fuit.

XX

Credis eum iam posse tuae meminisse figurae^

vidisti a lecto quem dare vela tuo ?
durus^ qui lucro potuit mutare puellam !

tantine^ his ^ lacrimis^ Africa tota fuit }
at tu^ stulta^ deos^ tu fingis inania verba :

forsitan ille aHo pectus amore terat.
est tibi forma potens^ sunt castae Palladis artes^

splendidaque a docto fama refulget avo^
fortunata domus^ modo sit tibi fidus amicus.

fidus ero : in nostros curre^ puella^ toros ! 1 0

nox mihi prima venit ! primae date tempora

noctis : ^ 13

longius in primo^ Luna^ morare toro. 14

tu quoque^ qui aestivos spatiosius exigis ignes^ 1 1

Phoebe^ moraturae contrahe lucis iter. 12

1 tonde Q Keil : tond ens NFL,

2 tantine his Paldam : tantisne in N : tantis in FL.

3 13, 14 transposed hefore 11 y 12 hy Scaliger.

^44

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

And thou^ Scylla^ that didst sell thyself for the beauty
of Minos^ thou didst shear away thy father's realm
when thou shorest his purple lock. Such was the
dower that the maiden pledged to the foe ! Nisus^
'twas love that opened thy gates by guile. But may
ye, unwedded maids^ burn your marriage torches
with happier omen : for^ see^ she hangs to the Cretan
bark and is dragged through the sea. Yet Minos
deserveshis place asthejudge of Hell: though victor
he showed justice to his conquered foe.

XX

Deemst thou that he whom thoii hast seen set sail
from thine embraces can give a thought to the re-
membrance of thy beauty ? Cruel the man that had
the heart to leave his mistress for the sake of gain !
When such tears as thine were slied was all Africa
worth the winning } But thou^ fooHsh girl^ dreamst
of the gods by whom he swore^ and of the light
words he spake. Perchance e*en now he vexes his
heart with another passion.

'^ Thy beauty hath power^ thine are the chaste arts
of Pallas^ and glorious is the renown shed on thee by
thy learned grandsire.^ Rich enough is thine house^
if thy lover be but true ! I will be true : do thou^ my
love, hasten to my couch !

^^ The first night of love is come for me. Grant
me, Moon and Sun^ the full space of that first night.
Moon^ Hnger longer than thy wont o'er our first
embraces. Thou too^ Phoebus^ that o'ermuch pro-
longst thy summer fires^ shorten the course of tliy

1 It is possible that Cynthia (Hostia) claimed to be descended
from the poet Hostius {circa 130), who wrote an epic on the
IUyrian war of 178 B.c.

245

■«N

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

foedera sunt ponenda prius signandaque iura

et scribenda mihi lex in amore novo.
haec Amor ipse suo constringit pignora signo :

testis sidereae torta corona deae.
quam multae ante meis cedent sermonibus horae^

dulcia quam nobis concitet arma Venus ! 20

namque ubi non certo vincitur foedere lectus,

non habet ultores nox vigilata ^ deos^
et quibus imposuit, solvit mox vincla libido :

contineant nobis omina ^ prima fidem.
ergo^ qui pactas in foedera ruperit aras^

pollueritque novo sacra marita toro^
illi sint quicumque solent in amore dolores^

et caput argutae praebeat historiae,
nec flenti dominae patefiant nocte fenestrae :

semper amet, fructu semper amoris egens. 30

XXI

Magnvm iter ad doctas proficisci cogor Athenas^

ut me longa gravi solvat amore via.
crescit enim assidue spectando ^ cura puellae :

ipse aUmenta sibi maxima praebet amor.
omnia sunt temptata mihi, quacumque fugari

possit : at ex omni me premit ipse deus.
vix tamen aut semel admittit^ cum saepe negarit :

seu venit; extremo dormit amicta ^ toro.

^ vigilata N : vigilanda FL,

2 omina ^ : omnia NFL,

3 spectando FL : spectandi N.
^ amicta Scaliger : amica NFL.

246

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

laggard light. First must the terms be made^ the
pact be sealed^ the contract written_, that shall rule
my new love. Love himself with his own signet
seals up our troth ; the whirHng crown of the starry
goddess ^ is witness. How many an hour shall first
yield to my tale of love ere Venus spur us to her
sweet warfare ! For if Love's bed be not bound by
compact sure the lover's nights of sleepless w^atching
find no gods to avenge them^ and hist soon breaks
the fetters it imposed : but for us may our love's
first omens keep fast our troth. Wherefore for him
that breaks the pledge that he swore on heaven's
altars, and pollutes the rites of wedlock by turning
to other loves^ for him be all the woes love knows
so well^ and let shrill-tongued gossip fasten on him^
nor^ though he weep^ may the window of his mistress
be unbarred to him by night ; let him love without
ceasing^ yet ever lack the fruition of love.

XXI

I AM constrained to set forth on a mighty journey to
learned Athens, that long travel may free me from
the burden of love. For my passion for my mistress
grows with gazing on her : love itself is love's chief
nourishment. I have tried all means whereby Love
may be put to flight : but the god afflicts me from
every side. Yet scarce ever, or only once and again,
will she admit me^ while oft she says me nay : or
if she comes to me, she sleeps fully clad on the bed's

^ Ariadne.

247

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

unum erit auxilium : mutatis Cynthia terris

quantum oculis^ animo tam procul ibit amor. 10
nunc agite, o socii^ propeilite in aequora ^ navem,

remorumque pares ducite sorte vices^
iungiteque extremo felicia lintea malo :

iam liquidum nautis aura secundat iter.
Romanae turres et vos valeatis^ amici,

qualiscumque mihi tuque, puella, vale !
ergo ego nunc rudis Hadriaci vehar aequoris hospes^

cogar et undisonos nunc prece adire deos.
deinde per lonium vectus cum fessa Lechaeo

sedarit placida vela phaselus aqua, 20

quod superest^ sufFerre pedes properate laborem^

Isthmos qua terris arcet utrumque mare.
inde ubi Piraei capient me litora portus^

scandam ego Theseae bracchia longa viae.
illic vel stadiis animum emendare Platonis

incipiam aut hortis^ docte Epicure^ tuis ;
persequar aut studium linguae, Demosthenis arma^

librorumque tuos^ docte ^ Menandre^, sales ;
aut certe tabulae capient mea lumina pictae^

sive ebore exactae^ seu magis aere, manus. 30

aut spatia annorum^ aut longa intervalla profundi

lenibunt tacito vulnera nostra sinu :
seu moriar^ fato^ non turpi fractus amore ;

atque erit illa mihi mortis honesta dies.

1 aequora F : aequore NL,

2 docte NFL ; the repetition of docte is scarcely defensible
scite L, Miiller,

248

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

edge. There is no help but this : if I seek another
land^ love will fly as far from my soul as Cynthia
from mine eyes,

^^ Come now^ my comrades_, launch forth our ship to
sea and draw lots in couples for your turn at the oar.
Hoist the fair-om.ened sails to the mast's top ; now
the breeze forwards the mariner's course across the
wave. Ye towers of Rome and ye my friends^ fare-
well, and thou, my love_, whate'er thou hast been for
me^ farewell !

^^ Now therefore I shall be borne away^ the
Adriatic's unfamiUar guest^ and now perforce approach
with prayer gods of the roaring wave. Then when my
bark has crossed the lonian sea and luUed its sails in
the calm waters of Lechaeum^ for what remains of the
journey hasten, my feet^ to endure the toil where
Isthmos with its fields beats back either sea. Then
when the shores of Piraeus haven shall receive me I
will cUmb the long arms^ of Theseus' road. There
I will begin to clear my soul of error in Plato's
Academe^^ or in thy gardens^ learned Epicurus ; or I
will pursue the study of eloquence^ the weapon of
Demosthenes^ and will cull the wit of thy books^
learned Menander ; or else bright pictures shall
delight my eyes, or masterpieces wrought in ivory
or bronze.

^^ Either length of years or the wide-sundering
spaces of the deep shall heal the wounds hidden in
my silent breast, or^ if I die, it shall be fate^ not dis-
honouring love^ shall lay me low ; and the day of my
death shall bring me no disgrace.

i The " long walls " of Athens.

2 stadiis = gymnasium — i.e., the Academia where Plato
taught.

249

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

XXII

Frigida tam multos placuit tibi Cyzicus annos/

Tulle, Propontiaca quae fluit isthmos aqua,
Dindymus et secto fabricata in clente ^ Cybelle,

raptorisque tulit qua via Ditis equos ?
si te forte iuvant Helles Athamantidos urbes^

at ^ desiderio, Tulle^ movere meo^ —
tu licet aspicias caelum omne Atlanta gerentem^

sectaque Persea Phorcidos ora manu^
Geryonis stabula et hictantum in pulvere signa

Hercuhs Antaeique^ Hesperidumque choros ; 10
tuque tuo Colchum propellas remige Phasim^

Pehacaeque trabis totum iter ipse legas^
qua rudis Argea * natat inter saxa columba

in faciem prorae pinus adacta novae ;
aut si qua Ortygie et ^ visenda est ora Caystri^

et qua septenas temperat unda vias ;
omnia Romanae cedent miracula terrae :

natura hic posuit^ quidquid ubique fuit.
armis apta magis tellus quam commoda noxae :

Famam^ Roma^ tuae non pudet historiae. 20

nam quantum ferro tantum pietate potentes

stamus : victrices temj)erat ira manus.

1 annos fl : annus NPL.

2 secto . . . in dente Barton : sacra . . . inventa NFL ;
thc passage scarcely admits of certain correction.

3 at Phillimore : et NPL, 4 Argea P : Argoa NL.

5 aut Ponteine : et N: at PL, Ortygie et Haupt : orige
NPL.

250

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

XXII

Has cool Cyzicus^ where the isthmus streams with
wave of Propontis, and the goddess of DindjTOUs and
Cybelle fashioned from carven tusks ^ and the path
trodden by the steeds of Dis ^ the ravisher, have all
these pleased thee for so many years^ my Tullus ?
Though perchance the cities of Helle^ daughter of
Athamas,, dehght thee^ yet^ Tullus^ be moved by my
longing for thee.

"' Though one gaze on Atlas supporting all the
sky^ and the head of Phorcys' daughter severed by
Perseus' hand, the stalls of Geryon, the marks of
Hercules and Antaeus wrestHng in the dust, and
the dances of the Hesperides ; though another churn
the waters of Colchian Phasis with his oarsmen and
foliow the whole course of the timbers hewn on
PeUon^ where the pine-tree, wrought into the
shape of an unfamiliar ship and still strange to the
sea, ghded between the crags with Argos' dove for
guide ; though he rnust visit Ortygia and the shores
of Cayster and the land where Nile's waters run
in sevenfold channels ; yet all these marvels shall
yield to the land of Rome : here hath nature placed
whate'er is best in all the world. 'Tis a land made
for war rather than crime : Fame blushes not for thy
story^ O Rome. For we are stabhshed in power by
loyal faith no less than by the sword : our anger
restrains its conquering hands.

1 At Cyzicus there was, according to Pausanias, a statue of
Cybelle made of hippopotamus ivory.

2 There seems to have been a legend which made Cyzicus,
not Sicily, the place of Persephone's disappearance.

251

SEXTI PROPERTl ELEGIARVM LIBER III

*

hic Anio Tiburne fluis/ Clitumnus ab Vmbro

tramite^ et aeternum Marcius umor opus^
Albanus lacus et foliis Nemorensis abundans/

potaque Pollucis nympha salubris equo.
at non squamoso labuntur ventre cerastae_,

Itala portentis nec furit ^ unda novis ;
non hic Andromedae resonant pro matre catenae^

nec tremis Ausonias^ Phoebe fugate^ dapes^ 30

nec cuiquam absentes arserunt in caput ignes

exitium nato matre movente suo ;
Penthea non saevae venantur in arbore Bacchae^

nec solvit Danaas subdita cerva rates^
cornua nec valuit curvare in paeHce luno

aut faciem turpi dedecorare bove ;

arboreasque cruces Sinis_, et non hospita Grais

saxa^ et curvatas in sua fata trabes.
haec tibi^ Tulle^ parens^ haec est pulcherrima sedes^

hic tibi pro digna gente petendus honos^ 40

hic tibi ad eloquium cives^ hic ampla nepotum

spes et venturae coniugis aptus amor.

1 fluis r : flues NFL.

2 foliis Housman : sotii FL : socii N. abundans Housman :
ab unda NFL.

3 f urit r : fuit NFL.

^ At least a couplct seems to have heen lost.

252

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

^^ Here fiowest thou^ Tibur's Anio^ here is Clitum-
nus from his Umbrian path and the Marcian con-
duit that shall endure for ever. Here is Alba's lake
and Nemi thick with leaves, and the healing spring
whence drank the horse of Pollux. But here glide
no horned asps with scaly bellies, nor are Italian
waters wild with strange monsters, Here clang not
Andromeda's fetters in payment for her mother's
sin_, nor^ Phoebus^ fliest thou in terror from Ausonian
banquets ;^ here for no man's destruction hath burned
far-distant fire when a mother compassed her own
son's ruin.^ No fierce Bacchanals hunt Pentheus in
his tree^ nor are Danaan fleets launched by the
substitution of a doe.^ Juno hath had no power to
make curved horns to grow from her rivaFs ^ brow
nor disfigure her features beneath the form of a cow.
[Here none tell of . . . nor o/] the trees where Sinis
crucified strangers_, nor of the rocks ^ that gave bitter
welcome to the Greeks^ nor of the ships built only to
meet their doom.

^^ This, Tullus^ is the land that bore thee, this thy
fairest home ; here shouldst thou seek honour that
shall match thy lofty birth. Here are citizens for
thine eloquence to sway^ here is ample hope of
ofFspring, and here awaits thee meet love from thy
bride that shall be.

^ The reference is to the banquet of Thyestes. " Atreus pre-
pared the flesh of Thyestes' children for their father to eat.
The sun turned back bis chariot in horror at the deed.

2 Althaea brought about her son Meleager's death by burning
a log, on the preservationof which his life depended.

3 The sacrifice of Iphigenia.

4 lo.

5 See Caphareus, Index.

253

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

XXIII

Ergo tam doctae nobis periere tabellae^

scripta quibus pariter tot periere bona I
has quondam nostris manibus detriverat usus^

qui non signatas iussit habere fidem.
illae iam sine me norant placare puellas^

et quaedam sine me verba diserta loqui.
non illas fixum caras effecerat aurum :

vulgari buxo sordida cera fuit.
qualescumque mihi semper mansere fideles^

semper et effectus promeruere bonos. 10

forsitan haec iUis fuerint mandata tabeUis :

" Irascor quoniam es^ lente^ moratus heri.
an tibi nescio quae visa est formosior ? an tu

non bona de nobis crimina ficta iacis ? "
aut dixit : ^^ Venies hodie^ cessabimus una :

hospitium tota nocte paravit Amor/'
et quaecumque volens ^ reperit non stulta puella

garrula^ cum blandis dicitur ^ hora doHs.
me miserum_, his ahquis rationem scribit avarus ^

et ponit diras ^ inter ephemeridas ! 20

quas si quis mihi rettulerit^ donabitur auro :

quis pro divitiis hgna ^ retenta veht ?
i puer^ et citus haec ahqua propone cplumna^

et dominum Esquihis scribe habitare tuum.

^ volens BroeMiuyzen : dolens NFL.

2 dioitur 5" : ducitur NFL, 3 avarus S" : avari NFL,

4 diras N : duras FL, 5 ligna Beroaldus : signa NFL.

254

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

XXIII

So then my tablets^ my learned tablets are lost^ and
with them many a gracious writing too is lost. Long
usage at my hands had worn them down and bade
them be believed without the warrant of a seal.
They knew how to appease my loves_, though I was
not by, and^ though I was not by^ could speak in
words of eloquence. No golden fittings made them
precious ; they were only dingy wax on common
boxwood. Yet poor though they were^ they were
ever faithful to me and ever won deserved success.
Sometimes^ it may be^ these were the words entrusted
to their care : ^^ I am angry, because thou didst tarry
yestereve^ thou sluggard. Didst thou deem thou
hadst found a fairer love ? Or dost thou spread some
vile slander against me ? " Or perchance slie said :
^^ Thou wilt come to-day and we will take our ease
together : Love has made ready a welcome for
thee all night long." These bare they, and all the
words a chattering girl delights to find^ when she
appoints an hour for the stealthy joys of love. Alas !
and now some greedy merchant writes his bill upon
them and places them among his terrible ledgers !
If any will return them to me he shall have gold for
his reward : who would keep hard blocks of wood
when he might have wealth for them ? Go, boy^
and with all speed set forth these lines upon some
pillar, and write that thy master dwells upon the
Esquiline,

255

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

XXIV

Falsa est ista tuae^ mulier^ fiducia formae,

olim oeulis nimium facta superba meis.
noster amor tales tribuit tibi_, Cynthia^ laudes.

versibus insignem te pudet esse meis ?
mixtam te varia laudavi saepe figura^

ut^ quod non esses_, esse putaret amor ;
et color est totiens roseo collatus Eoo^

cum tibi quaesitus candor in ore foret :
quod mihi non patrii poterant avertere amici^,

eluere aut vasto Thessala saga mari. 10

haec ego non ferro^ non igne coactus^ et ipsa

naufragus Aegaea vera fatebar ^ aqua :
correptus saevo Veneris torrebar aeno ;

vinctus eram versas in mea terga manus.
ecce coronatae portum tetigere carinae^

traiectae Syrtes^ ancora iacta mihi est.
nunc demum vasto fessi resipiscimus aestu^

vuhieraque ad sanum nunc coiere mea.
Mens Bona^ si qua dea es^ tua me in sacraria dono !

exciderant surdo tot mea vota lovi. 20

1 vera Passerat : verba NFL. f atebar 5" : f atebor NFL,

256

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IIT

XXIV

False^ woman^ is the trust thou puttest in thy
beauty ; long since the partial judgment of mine
eyes hath made thee overproud. Such praise of old
my love besto\ved on thee^ and now it shames me
that thou hast glory from my song. Oft did I
praise the varied beauty of thy blending charms^
and love deemed thee to be that which thou wert
not. Oft was thy hue compared to the rosy star of
dawn^ though the splendour of thy face owed naught
to nature. This madness my father's friends could
not drive from me^ nor any witch of Thessaly wash
from me with the waves of the wild sea. AU this —
no fire or knife compelUng — I confessed in utter
truth^ wrecked on a very ocean of trouble.^ Venus
caught me and seethed me in the caldron of her
cruelty ; my hands were twisted and bound behind
my back. But lo ! my ships have found haven and
wear wreaths of thanksgiving^ the Syrtes are crossed
and mine anchor cast. Now at last my senses return
to me, aweary of the wild sea-tides ; my wounds have
closed, my flesh is healed. Good Sense^ if any such
goddess there be^ I dedicate myself to the service of
thy shrine^ for Jove was deaf and took no heed of all
my vows.

^ Aegaca aqua is metaphorical.

257

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER III

XXV

Risvs eram positis inter convivia mensis^

et de me poterat quilibet esse loquax.
quinque tibi potui servire fideliter annos :

ungue meam morso saepe querere fidem.
nil moveor lacrimis : ista sum captus ab arte ;

semper ab insidiis^ Cynthia^, flere soles.
flebo ego discedens^ sed fletum iniuria vincit :

tu bene conveniens non sinis ire iugum.
limina iam nostris valeant lacrimantia verbis^

nec tamen irata ianua fracta manu. 10

at te celatis aetas gravis urgeat annis^

et veniat formae ruga sinistra tuae !
vellere tum cupias albos a stirpe capillos_,

a ! speculo rugas increpitante tibi^
exclusa inque vicem fastus patiare superbos^

et quae fecisti facta queraris anus !
has tibi fatales cecinit mea pagina diras :

eventum formae disce timere tuae !

258

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK III

XXV

They made mock of me where the tables were set
for feasting ; the tongues of the vilest were suifered to
make free with my name. For five years I had the
heart to be thy faithful slave ; oft shalt thou gnaw
thy naiis and mourn for my lost loyalty. Tears move
me not a whit : 'twas tears ensnared me of old : Cynthia^
thou never weepest save to deceive. I too shall weep
as I depart^ but my wrongs are stronger than grief ;
for thou lettest not the yoke sit easy on my shoulders.
Farewell the threshold still weeping with my plaint^
farewell that door ne'er broken by my hands for all
its cruelty ! But thee may weary age bow down with
the years thou hast concealed/ and niay ill-favoured
wrinkles come to mar thy beauty ! Then mayest
thou desire to tear out thy white hairs by the root^
when the mirror mocks thee with thy wrinkles ;
mayest thou in thy turn be shut out from bliss
and endure another's haughty scorn ! Turned to
an ancient crone^ mayest thou lament what thou
hast done ! Such curses fraught with doom are the
burden of my song for thee : learn to dread the end
that awaits thy beauty !

^ Or perhaps "years that steal on unnoticed."

259

BOOK IV

LIBER QVARTVS

I

Hoc quodcumque videS; hospes^ qua maxima Roma
est^

ante Phrygem Aenean collis et herba fuit ;
atque ubi Navali stant sacra Palatia Phoebo^

Euandri profugae concubuere boves.
fictiHbus crevere deis haec aurea templa^

nec fuit opprobrio facta sine arte casa ;
Tarpeiusque pater nuda de rupe tonabat^

et Tiberis nostris advena bubus erat.
qua gradibus domus ista Remi se sustuHt^ oHm

unus erat fratrum maxima regna focus. 1 0

Curia_, praetexto quae nunc nitet alta senatu,

pelhtos habuit^ rustica corda^ Patres.
bucina cogebat priscos ad verba Quirites :

centum ilH in prato saepe senatus erat.
nec sinuosa cavo pendebant vela theatro,

pulpita soHemnes non oluere crocos.
nulH cura fuit externos quaerere divos ;

cum tremeret patrio pendula turba sacro,
262

THE FOURTH BOOK

All that thou beholdest^ stranger^ where mighty
Rome lies spread^ was grass and hill before the
coming of Phrygian Aeneas ; and where stands the
Palatine sacred to Phoebus of the Ships^ there once lay
the herd of Evander's exiled kine. From gods of clay
sprang yonder golden temples ; of old they spurned
not to dwell in liuts made by unskilled hands ; the
Tarpeian sire thundered from a bare crag^ and Tiber
still seemed strange to our cattle. Where Remus'
hbuse is perched j^onder at the stairway's height ^
tlie brothers of old counted their tiny hearth a
mighty reahn. The Senate-house^ that towers on
high filled with a shining throng of senators clad in
the robe with purple hem^ once held a rustic com-
pany^ the city fathers robed in skins of beasts. The
trumpet summoned the olden Quirites to debate : a
hundred gathered in a meadow oft made a senate.
No ripphng awnings hung o'er the hollow theatre^
nor reeked the stage with saffron^ as 'tis wont to-day.
Then no man soiight to bring in strange gods^ when
tlie folk trembled in suspense before the ritual of
their sires ; but greatly they cared to celebrate

1 See p, 109, note 1. The stairway is the Scala Cacia
leading from the Circus Maximns to the Palatine.

263

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV
aniiua at ^ accenso celebrare Parilia faeno^

qiialia nunc curto lustra novantur equo. 20

Vesta coronatis pauper gaudebat asellis,

ducebant macrae vilia sacra boves.
parva saginati lustrabant compita porci^

pastor et ad calamos exta litabat ovis.
verbera pellitus saetosa movebat arator^,

unde licens Fabius sacra Lupercus habet.
nec rudis infestis miles radiabat in armis :

miscebant usta proelia nuda sude.
prima galeritus posuit praetoria Lycmon,

magnaque pars Tatio rerum erat inter oves. 30

hinc Titiens Ramnesque viri Luceresque Soloni^^

quattuor hinc albos Romulus egit equos.
quippe suburbanae parva minus urbe Bovillae

et^ qui nunc nulli^ maxima turba Gabi.
et stetit Alba potens^ albae suis omine nata,

hinc ubi Fidenas longa erat isse via.^

2 ^ annua at Lachmann : aiinuaque NFL,
^ 2 soloni iV; colom FL.

3 hinc Postgate : hac NFL, longa , . via 5" : longe . .
vias NFL.

264

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

the yearly feast of Pales with heaps of biirning
straw^ making purification such as to-day we make
with the blood of the maimed horse.^ Vesta was
poor^ and necklaced asses ^ sufficed to make her glad^
while lean kine dragged sacred emblems of Uttle
worth. The cross-roads^^ small as yet^. were sprinkled
with the blood of fatted swine^ and the shepherd to
the sound of pipes of reed made acceptable sacrifice
with the entrails of sheep. The ploughman girt
with skins pHed his shaggy scourge ; * hence spring
the rites of Fabian Lupercus. Their rude soldiers
flashed not in threatening armour^ but joined battle
bare-breasted with stakes hardened in the fire.
Lycmon wore but a wolf-skin helm when he pitched
the first of generars tents^ and the wealth of Tatius
lay chiefly in his sheep. Thus rose the Titienses^
the hero Ramnes^ and the Luceres of Solonium ; thus
came it that Romulus drove the four white steeds of
triumph. Of a truth Bovillae was less a suburb
while Rome was yet so small, and Gabii^ that now is
naught, was then a crowded tow n. Then Alba^ born
of the white sow's omen^ still stood in power, in the
days when 'twas a long journey from Rome to Fidenae.

^ On October 15 a horse known as the October equus was
sacrificed to Mars. Its tail was cut off and the blood allowed
to drop on the hearth of the regia, the ancient palace of Numa,
near the temple of Vesta. The blood was preserved and formed
part of a suffimen^ or fumigatory powder, at the Parilia.

2 The feast of Vesta took place on June 9, one of its chief
features being a procession in which asses garlanded with
strings of loaves took part.

3 A reference to the Compitalia, or festival of the La7'€s
compitales, which took place at the end of December.

4 The reference is to the Lupercalia (February 15). Men
girt with skins ran through the streets of Rome striking
women with thongs of goat-skin. This was supposed to
promote fertility.

^65

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

nil patrium nisi nomen habet Romanus alumnus :

sanguinis altricem non putet esse lupam.
huc melius profugos misisti^ Troia^ Penates.

huc ^ quali vecta est Dardana puppis ave ! 40

iam bene spondebant tunc omina^ quod nihil illam

laeserat abiegni venter apertus equi^
cum pater in nati trepidus cervice pependit^

et verita est umeros urere flamma pios.
tunc animi venere Deci Brutique secures,

vexit et ipsa sui Caesaris arma Venus^
arma resurgentis portans victricia Troiae :

felix terra tuos cepit^ lule^ deos^
si modo Avernalis tremulae cortina Sibyllae

dixit Aventino rura pianda Remo^ 50

aut si Pergameae sero rata carmina vatis

longaevum ad Priami vera fuere caput:
^^ Vertite equum, Danai ! male vincitis ! IHa tellus

vivet^ et huic cineri luppiter arma dabit ! '*
optima nutricum nostris lupa Martia rebus^

quaha creverunt moenia lacte tuo !
moenia namque pio coner disponere versu :

ei mihi^ quod nostro est parvus in ore sonus '
sed tamen exiguo quodcumque e pectore rivi

fluxerit^ hoc patriae serviet omne meae. 60

Ennius hirsuta cingat sua dicta corona :

mi foUa ex hedera porrige^ Bacche^ tua^
ut nostris tumefacta superbiat Vmbria Hbris^

Vmbria Romani patria CalHmachi !

^ huc Baehrens : heu NFZ,
266

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

The Roman of to-day lias naught from his father
save the name^ nor would he deem that the she-wolf
nurtured the blood from whence he sprang.

^^ Hither, O Troy^ for happier destiny didst thou
send thine exiled gods ; with blessed augury came
hither the Dardan bark ; even then the omens boded
her well^ since the womb of the horse of fir-wood had
done her no hurt in that day when the father hung
trembhng on his son's neck^ and the flame feared to
burn those pious shoulders. That day led hither
the dauntless Decii and the consulship of Brutus^
and Venus herself bore hither her Caesar's arms^
even the victorious arms of Troy reborn ; with
blessing^ luhis^ did the land receive thy gods^ since
the tripod of Avernus' trembhng Sibyl bade Remus
sanctify the fields of Aventine^ and late in time the
strains of the proj)hetess of Troy proved true con-
cerning ancient Priam. "^ Turn your steeds^ ye
Danaans ! " she cried. '^ Ye conquer but in vain '
nium's land shall Hve and Jove shall arm her
ashes ! "

^^0 wolf of Mars^ thou best of nurses for our state,
what walls have sprung from thy milk ! Of those
walls let me sing in order due — alas ! how weak
is the voice of my Hps. Yet howsoever slender the
stream of song that flows from my puny heart^ yet aH
of it shaH be given to the service of my country.
Let Ennius crown his songs with rude^ shaggy
wreath ! To me^ O Bacchus^ give of thine ivy's
leaves^ that my books may make Umbria swell with
pride, Umbria the home of Rome's CaHimachus !

267

.SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

scandentis qui Asis ^ cernit de vallibus arces,

ingenio muros aestimet ille meo !
Roma^ fave^ tibi surgit opus^ date candida cives

omina^ et inceptis dextera cantet avis ! 68

dicam : ^^ Troia cades^ et Troica Roma resurges"; 87

et maris et terrae longa pericla^ canam.^ 88

sacra diesque canam et cognomina prisca locorum : 69

has meus ad metas sudet oportet equus. 70

Ia4

Qvo ruis imprudens^ vage^ dicere fata^ Properti ?

non sunt a dextro condita lila colo.
accersis lacrimas cantans ; ^ aversus Apollo ;

poscis ab invita verba pigenda lyra.
certa feram certis auctoribus, aut ego vates

nescius aerata signa movere pila.
me creat Archytae suboles Babylonius Orops

Horon^ et a proavo ducta Conone domus.
di mihi sunt testes non degenerasse propinquos,

inque meis hbris nil prius esse fide. 80

nunc pretium fecere deos et (falhtur auro

luppiter) obhquae signa iterata rotae,

1 qui Asis Butler, following 0. L. Richmond, ivho read -que
Asis cernit qui vallibus (asis iivf) : quasuis FL : quisquis N»

2 pericla 5" : sepulcra NFL.

3 67, 88 transposed after 68 hy Scaliger.

4: No hreah in MSS. The separation is due to early Renaissance
scholars,

o cantans Baehrens : cantas NFL.

268

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

Let him that sees the towers of Asis cUmbing from
the vale reckon the glory of its walls by the fame of
my wit ! Rome^ smile on me ! For thee my work
is built. Ye citizens^ give me fair omen^ and from
the right hand let some bird of augury sing me suc-
cess. I will cry, ^^ Troy^ thou shalt fall^ and thou,
Trojan Rome, shalt arise anew ! " and I will sing of
all Rome's long perils by land and sea. Of holy
rites and their days will I sing^ and of the ancient
names of places. This must be the goal toward which
my foaming steed shall press.

IaI

Whither in heedless folly dost thou speed to sing
the works of destiny^ thou truant Propertius ? The
thread thou spinnest comes from no favouring distaif.
Thy song shall bring thee sorrow ; Apollo's face is
turned from tbee ; thou askest of thine unwilling
lyre such strains as thou shalt rue. I will tell thee
sure truth with warrant sure ; else am I a seer that
knows not how to wheel the constellations on their
orb of bronze.^ Horos is my name, and Babylonian
Orops^ child of Archytas^ begat me^ and my house
hath Conon for ancestor. The gods be witness that
I have not shamed my kin and that in my books
there is naught set down save truth. Now have
men turned the gods to profit and Jupiter is fooled
by their gold ; to profit have they turned the oft-

i This elegy seems to be a sort of whimsical recantation of
the previous poem. It takes the form of a soliloquy by an
astrologer, named Horos.

2 An orrery or planetarium.

269

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

felicesque lovis stellas Martisque rapaces ^

et grave Saturni sidus in omne caput ;
quid moveant Pisces animosaque signa Leonis,

lotus et Hesperia quid Capricornus aqua. 86

dixi ego^ cum geminos produceret Arria natos 89

(illa dabat natis arma vetante deo) : 90

non posse ad patrios sua pila referre Penates :

nempe meam firmant nunc duo busta fidem.
quippe Lupercus^ eques ^ dum saucia protegit ora^

heu sibi prolapso non bene cavit equo ;
Gallus at^ in castris dum credita signa tuetur^

concidit ante aquilae rostra cruenta suae :
fatales pueri^ duo funera matris avarae !

vera^ sed invito, contigit ista fides.
idem ego^ cum Cinarae traheret Lucina dolores^

et facerent uteri pondera lenta moram, 100

" lunonis facito ^ votum impetrabile " dixi :

illa parit : Hbris est data palma meis I
hoc neque harenosum Libyae lovis explicat antrum^

aut sibi commissos fibra locuta deos^
aut si quis motas cornicis senserit alas^

umbrave quae ^ magicis mortua prodit aquis.
aspicienda via est caeh verusque per astra

trames^ et ab zonis quinque petenda fides.

^ rapaces Livmeius : rapacis NFL,

2 eques Heinsius : equi NFL.

3 facito Lachmann : f acite NFL.

4 umbrave quae Tmrnebus : umbrane quae N : umbraque
ne FL,

270

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

scanned constellations of the slanting zodiac^ the
blessed star of Jove^ the greedy star of Mars, the
sign of Saturn that brings woe to one and all^ the
purport of the Fish and the fierce constellation of
the Lion and Capricorn^ bathed in the waters of the
West.

^^ When Arria was in travail with her twin sons I
foretold — for she destined her sons for arms^ though
a god forbade— that they should never bring home
their spears to the gods of their father's home^ and
now lo ! two tombs prove that my words were true.
For the horseman Lupercus^ as he shielded his
wounded face^ guarded himself but ill, alas ! for
his steed had fallen : while Gallus^ as in the camp
he defended the standards entrusted to his charge^
fell dead before his eagle's beak and bathed it in his
blood. Doomed boys, both brought to your death
by your mother's greed, my words found true fulfil-
ment— ah ! would that they had not ! I, too^ when
Lucina prolonged Cinara's pains^and the slowburden
of her womb delayed, cried : ^^ Let her make a vow to
Juno that shall win the ear of the goddess I " She
was delivered : my books won the day. Such
truth is not unfolded by the cave of Libyan Jove
amid the desert sands/ nor by entrails that speak
forth the will of heaven entrusted to their care ;
such truth he cannot tell that marks the crow's
beating wings^ nor the spirit of the dead that rises
from magic waters. The seer must gaze upon
the path of heaven^ on the road of truth that
lies among the stars^ and from the five zones seek

^ Jupiter Ammon.

271

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

exemplum grave erit Calchas : namque Aulide solvit

ille bene haerentes ad pia saxa rates ; 110

idem Agamemnoniae ferrum cervice puellae

tinxit^ et Atrides vela cruenta dedit ;
nec rediere tamen Danai : tu^ diruta^ fletum

supprime et Euboicos respice^ Troia^ sinus !
Nauplius ultores sub noctem porrigit ignes^

et natat exuviis Graecia pressa suis.
victor Oiliade^ rape nunc et dilige vatem^

quam vetat avelli veste Minerva sua !
hactenus historiae : nunc ad tua devehar astra ;

incipe tu lacrimis aequus adesse novis. 1 20

Vmbria te notis antiqua Penatibus edit :

mentior ? an patriae tangitur ora tuae ?
qua 1 nebulosa cavo rorat Mevania campo^

et lacus aestivis intepet Vmber aquis^
scandentisque Asis consurgit vertice murus^

murus ab ingenio notior ille tuo ?
ossaque legisti non illa aetate legenda

patris et in tenues cogeris ipse lares :
nam tua cum multi versarent rura iuvenci^

abstulit excultas pertica tristis opes. 130

mox ubi bulla rudi demissa est aurea collo^

matris et ante deos libera sumpta toga^

1 qua r : quam NFL.

272

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

assurance.^ Calchas bears grievous witness ; for
he loosed from Aulis the ships that clung to the
kindly rocks^ as still they should have clung ; 'twas
Calchas^ too^ that embrued the steel in the blood of
Agamemnon's daughter and launched Atrides with
blood upon his sails ; yet never did the Danaans
return ; fallen Troy, check thy weeping and behold
Euboea^s bays ! Nauplius uplifts his vengeful fires
by night^ and Greece swims sunken by the weight of
her spoils. Victorious son of Oileus^ go^ ravish thy
prophetess and take her to thy love^ though Minerva
forbid thee to tear her from her robe !

^^^ Thus far shall history witness ; now to thy
stars I turn ; prepare to lend patient hearing to a
new tale of tears. Ancient Umbria bore thee in a
home of high renown — do I lie ? or do I touch thy
country's borders ? — where misty Mevania sheds its
dews on the hollow plain and the waters of Umbria*s
lake send forth their summer steam^ and the wall
rises from the peak of climbing Asis^ that wall made
yet more glorious by thy wit. And all too young
thou didst gather to thy bosom thy father's bones
and wert driven to a poorer home. Many were the
steers that tilled thy fields^ but the pitiless measur-
ing-rod ^ robbed thee of thy wealth of plough-land.
Thereafter when the ball of gold ^ was cast from thy
young neck and the robe of manhood's freedom * was

^ Heaven was divided into five zones : on either side of the
central or torrid lay the two temperate zones, and beyond them
two zones of cold. See Vergil, Oeorg, i. 233.

2 A reference to the confiscation of lands for distribution
among the soldiers of Caesar. See Introduction.

3 A locket worn by the sons of senators or knights. It
contained a charm against the evil eye, and was laid aside on
reaching puberty.

4 See p. 229, note.

» 273

SEXTl PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

tum tibi pauca suo de carmine dictat ApoUo

et vetat insano verba tonare Foro.
at tu finge elegos, fallax opus : — haec tua castra ! —

scribat ut exemplo cetera turba tuo.
militiam Veneris blandis patiere sub armis^

et Veneris pueris utilis hostis eris.
nam tibi victrices quascumque labore parasti^

eludit palmas una puella tuas : 140

et bene confixum mento discusseris ^ uncum^

nil erit hoc : rostro te premet ansa suo.^ •
ilUus arbitrio noctem lucemque videbis :

gutta quoque ex oculis non nisi iussa cadet.
nec mille excubiae nec te signata iuvabunt

limina : persuasae fallere rima ^ sat est.
nunc tua vel mediis puppis luctetur in undis^

vel licet armatis hostis inermis eas^
vel tremefacta cavum tellus diducat * hiatum :

octipedis Cancri terga sinistra time ! 150

II

QviD mirare meas tot in uno corpore formas ?

accipe Vertumni signa paterna dei.
Tuscus ego Tuscis orior^ nec paenitet inter

proelia Volsinios deseruisse focos.

1 discusseris ^ : discusserit NFL»

2 rostro Dom. Calderinus : nostro NFL. ansa Dom, Ccdde-
rinus : ausa NFL. suo FL : tuo N.

3 limina r : lumina NFL. rima Beroaldus : prima NFL,

4 cavum/.- csiYO NFL. diducatiV; deducat T^X.

274

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

donned before thy mother*s gods^ then did Apollo
teach thee some little of his song and forbid thee to
thunder forth thy speech in the mad tumult of the
Forum, Nay then^ be elegy thy task^ a work full of
guile — here Hes thy warfare ! — that other bards may
write inspired by thee. Thou shalt endure the
alluring strife of Venus' wars and shalt be a foeman
meet for the shafts of Venus' boys. For whatever
victories thy toil may win thee^ there is one girl shall
baffle thee ever ; and though thou shake from thy
mouth the hook that is fast therein^ it will avail thee
naught ; the rod shall keep thee captive with its
barb. Her whim shall order thy waking and thy
sleeping^ and the tear shall not fall from thine eyes
save at her command. Nor shall a thousand guards
aid thee^ nor a thousand seals set on her doors ; if she
be resolved to cheat thee^ a chink in the door will
suffice her. And now whether thy bark be tossed
in mid tempest or thou goest unarmed amid an
armoured foe, or earth tremble and yawn for tliee
with gaping chasm^ fear thou the ill-omened back of
the eight-footed Crab I ^

II

Why marvellest thou that my one body should have
so many shapes ? Learn the tokens of the god
Vertumnus' birth. A Tuscan I from Tuscans sprung^
nor do I repent me that I left Volsinii's hearths

^ Those born under the constellation of the Crab were
supposed to be avaricious. The allusion is to Cynthia's
avarice ; cp. II. xvi., and II I, xiii.

275

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

liaec mea turba iuvat, nec templo laetor eburno :

Romanum satis est posse videre Forum.
hac quondam Tiberinus iter faciebat^ at aiunt

remorum auditos per vada pulsa sonos :
at postquam ille suis tantum concessit alumnis^

Vertumnus verso dicor ab amne deus. 10

seu^ quia vertentis fructum praecepimus anni,

Vertumni rursus credis id ^ esse sacrum.
prima mihi variat liventibus uva racemis^

et coma lactenti spicea fruge tumet ;
hic dulces cerasos^ hic autumnalia pruna

cernis et aestivo mora rubere die ;
insitor hic solvit pomosa vota corona^

cum pirus invito stipite mala tulit.
mendax fama vaces : ^ alius mihi nominis index :

de se narranti tu modo crede deo. 20

opportuna mea est cunctis natura figuris :

in quamcumque voles verte^ decorus ero.
indue me Cois^ fiam non dura puella :

meque virum sumpta quis neget esse toga }
da falcem et torto frontem mihi comprime
faeno :

iurabis nostra gramina secta manu.
arma tuli quondam et^ memini^ laudabar in iilis :

corbis at ^ imposito pondere messor eram.
sobrius ad lites : at cum est imposta corona,

clamabis capiti vina subisse meo. 30

1 credis id Poatgate : credidit 0.

2 Yaces 5" : voces FL } noces N.

3 at Butler : in N : om, FL.

n6 ■ '

THE RLEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

amid the din of battle. This throng that is ever
round me is my joy ; I need no ivory temple for
my delight ; enough that I can see the Roman
Forum.

'^ There once the Tiber went^ and they say that the
sound of oars ^ was heard across the smitten shallows.
But after he had yielded thus much ground to his
nurslings I was called the god Vertumnus from the
turning of the river. Or else because I receive the
first-fruits of the year as it turns its round^ for this
reason also thou deemest that offering to be Ver-
tumnus* due. For me the first grape changes colour
with darkening cluster, and the spiked ear of corn
swells with its milky fruit. There thou seest sweet
cherries glow^ here autumn plums and summer mul-
berries. Here the grafter pays his vows with garland
of fruit^ when the pear's unwilling stock hath borne
him apples.

^^ Lying rumour be silent ; another warrant is there
for my nanie ; beheve the god that tells his own
tale. My nature suits with every form : turn me to
what thou wilt^ I shall still be comely. Clothe me in
silks of Cos^ I shall prove a graceful girl ; and when
I wear the toga who shall deny me to be a man ? Give
me a sickle and bind my brow with twisted hay^ thou
wilt swear that grass has been cut by my hands.
Once I bore arms and^ I mind me^ won praise in war ;
but when the heavy basket was placed upon my back
I was a reaper. Sober am I when law-suits call^ yet
when the wreath is on my brow thou wilt cry that
the wine has stolen to my head. Gird my head with

^ See Velabrum, Index.

277

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

cinge caput mitra^ speciem furabor lacchi ; ^

furabor Phoebi^ si modo plectra dabis.
cassibus impositis venor : sed harundine sumpta

fautor 2 plumoso sum deus aucupio.
est etiam aurigae species Vertumnus et eius^

traicit alterno qui leve pondus equo.
suppetat hoc, pisces calamo praedabor^ et ibo

mundus demissis institor in tunicis.
pastor me ad baculum possum curvare ^ vel idem

sirpiculis medio pulvere ferre rosam. 40

nam quid ego adiciam^ de quo mihi maxima fama est^

hortorum in manibus dona probata meis ?
caeruleus cucumis tumidoque cucurbita ventre

me notat et iunco brassica vincta levi ;
nec flos uUus hiat pratis^ quin ille decenter

impositus fronti langueat ante meae.
at mihi^ quod formas unus vertebar in omnes^

nomen ab eventu patria hngua dedit.
et tu_, Roma^ meis tribuisti praemia Tuscis^

(unde hodie Vicus nomina Tuscus habet^) 50

tempore quo sociis venit Lycomedius armis

atque Sabina feri contudit arma Tati.
vidi ego labentes acies et tela caduca^

atque hostes turpi terga dedisse fugae.
sed facias^ divum Sator^ ut Romana per aevum

transeat ante meos turba togata pedes.

^ lacchi early Benaissance scholars : achei NFL.

2 fautor Rossherg : fauor N : faunor FL.

3 pastor me ^2/^r/iann; pastorem iVi^X. curvare 5" : curare
NFL.

278

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

a turban^ I will steal for me the semblance of lacchus ;
I will steal the semblance of Phoebus if thou wilt but
give me his lyre. With nets on my shoulder I go
hunting ; but when the fowler's reed is in my hand I
am that god who speeds the snaring of feathered fowl.
Vertumnus takes also the guise of a charioteer^ and of
him who transfers his nimble weight from horse to
horse. Supply me and with a rod I will take spoil of
fish^ or will go my way a spruce pedlar with traiUng
tunic. I can stoop Hke a shepherd o'er his crook ;
I too can bring roses in baskets through the midst of
summer's dust. For why should I add^ since there
Ues my greatest fame^ that the garden's choice
gifts may be seen in my hands ? The dark-green
cucumber and the gourd with sweUing belly and the
cabbage tied with hght rushes mark me out. Nor
grows there any flower in the fields but is placed
upon my brow and droops in comely fashion before
my face. Nay^ my name sprang from my deeds ;
'twas because I turned to every shape that my native
tongue bestowed it on me.

*^ And thou, Rome^ thou didst reward my Tuscan
kin — from whom to-day the Tuscan street is named
— what time theLycomedian came with succouring
host and crushed the Sabine warriors of fierce Tatius.
I saw the breaking ranks^ the weapons cast to earth,
I saw the foe turn his back in base flight.

^^ But do thou^ O Father of the gods^ grant that the
toga-clad throng of Rome may pass for ever before
my feet.

279

SEXTI PROPERTl ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

sex superant versus : te^ qui ad vadimonia curris^

non moror : haec spatiis ultima creta meis.
stipes acernus eram_, properanti falce dolatus^

ante Numam grata pauper in urbe deus. 60

at tibi^ Mamurri^ formae caelator aenae^

tellus artifices ne terat Osca manus^
qui me tam dociles potuisti fundere in usus.

unum opus est^ operi non datur unus honos.

III

Haec Arethusa suo mittit mandata Lycotae,

cum totiens absis^ si potes esse meus.
si qua tamen tibi lecturo pars obHta derit^

haec erit e lacrimis facta litura meis :
aut si qua incerto fallet te Uttera tractu^

signa meae dextrae iam morientis erunt.
te modo viderunt iteratos Bactra per ortus^

te modo munito Neuricus ^ hostis equo^
hibernique Getae^ pictoque Britannia curru^

tunsus ^ et Eoa discolor Indus aqua. 1 0

haecne marita fides et pactae in savia noctes^,^

cum rudis urgenti bracchia victa dedi ?
quae mihi deductae fax omen praetuUt^ illa

traxit ab everso lumina nigra rogo ;

^ munito Beroaldus : munitus NFL, Neuricus Jacoh :
hericus NFL.

2 tunsus Housman : ustus NFL,

8 pactae in savia noctes Haupt ; et parce avia noctes N : et
pacatae mihi noctes FL,

280

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

^^ Six lines remain ; I would not delay you that
hurry to answer your bail ; this is the endino of my
course.

^^ Once I was a maple stock, rough-hewn with
hurried sickle ; 'twas before Numa's days I dwelt, no
wealthy god. in the city of my loye. But may the
rude earth ne'er bruise thy cunninor hands, Mamurius.
that didst oraye my form in bronze and hadst the
skill to cast me to such changeful use. Thy work is
but one, yet manifold the honour that it wins.

III

This charge doth Arethusa send to her Lycotas^ if I
may call thee mine who art so often far from me.
Yet if any part thou wouldst read be lost and blotted^
the blot will haye been made by my tears ; or if any
letter baffle thee with uncertain outUne, 'twill be the
token of my right hand that no\v faints m death.

"^ Thee now did Bactra behold in the twice-yisited
East, now the Neuric foe with armoured steed^ the
wintry Getans^ and Britain of the painted car and
the swart Indian washed by the Eastern waye.

^^ Was this the meaning: of thy wedded troth, of the
night pledged to our kisses, when a stranger in loye's
warfare I pelded to thine onset } The torch that
burned with ominous light before me as they led me
to thy house drew its baleful flame from the ruins
of some pyre ; I was sprinkled witli water from the

i281

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

et Stygio sum sparsa lacu^ nec recta capillis

vitta data est : nupsi non comitante deo.
omnibus heu portis pendent mea noxia vota :

texitur haec castris quarta lacerna tuis.
occidat^ immerita qui carpsit ab arbore vallum

et struxit querulas rauca per ossa tubas^ 20

dignior obliquo funem qui torqueat Ocno^

aeternusque tuam pascat^ aselle^ famem !
dic mihi^ num ^ teneros urit lorica lacertos ?

num gravis imbelles atterit hasta manus ?
haec noceant potius^ quam dentibus ulla puella

det mihi plorandas per tua colla notas !
diceris et macie vultum tenuasse : sed opto^

e desiderio sit color iste meo.
at mihi cum noctes induxit vesper amaras^

si qua reUcta iacent^ osculor arma tua ; 30

tum queror in toto non sidere paUia lecto^

lucis et auctores non dare carmen aves.
noctibus hibernis castrensia pensa laboro

et Tyria in gladios vellera secta suo ;
et disco^ qua parte fluat vincendus Araxes^

quot sine aqua Parthus milia currat equus ;
cogor et e tabula pictos ediscere mundos_,

quahs et educti sit positura Dai^^
quae tellus sit lenta gelu^ quae putris ab aestu^

ventus in Itaham qui bene vela ferat. 40

assidet una soror curis,, et pallida nutrix

peierat hiberni temporis esse moras.

1 num r : dum NFL.

2 educti . . . Dai Ellis : haec docti . . . dei NFL.

282

thp: ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

pool of Styx^ the wreath was set awry upon my hair :
Hymen was not with me when I wedded. On every
gate, alas ! are hung my vows for thy safety^ vows that
bring naught save woe^ and 'tis now the fourth cloak
I am weaving for thy warfare. Perish the man first
plucked the soldier's stake from some unofFending
tree^ and wrought mournful trumpets from hoarse-
echoing bones ! Worthier he than Ocnus to twist
the rope^ sitting slantwise at the task_, and to feed
thy hungry maw^ poor ass^, to all eternity !

23 Tell me^ does the breastplate gall thy soft arms }
does the heavy spear chafe thy hands that were not
meant for war ? Sooner let spear and breastplate
hurt thee than that any girl should mar thy neck
with the marks of her teeth_, marks that must bring
me tears to weep ! They say^ too^ that thy face is
lean and drawn : only I pray that thy pallor spring
but from longing for me.

^^ Meanwhile I^ when evening brings round for
me the bitter night^ kiss whatever of thy weapons
lie left at home. Then I complain that the coverlet
will never stay upon my couch, and that the birds
that herald dawn are slow to sing. Through the
nights of winter I toil to weave thee raiment for thy
Ufe in camp^ and sew lengths of woollen cloth purple
with Tyrian dye^ only to meet the sword. I learn
where Hows the Araxes thou must conquer, and how
many miles the Parthian charger can run without
slaking his thirst. I am driven also to study from
a map the painted world and to learn what is the
position of the far-northern Dahan^ what lands are
stiff with frost^ what crumbhng with heat^ and what
is the wind that may waft thy sails safe home to Italy.

*^ My sister only waits on my sorrows, aiid my nurse^
turning pale^ swears falsely 'tis winter's season that

283

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

felix Hippolyte ! nuda tulit arma papilla

et texit galea barbara molle caput.
Romanis utinam patuissent castra puellis !

essem militiae sarcina fida tuae^
nec me tardarent Scythiae iuga, cum pater altas

acrius ^ in glaciem frigore nectit aquas.
omnis amor magnus^ sed aperto in coniuge maior :

hanc Venus, ut vivat^ ventilat ipsa facem. 50

nam mihi quo Poenis nunc ^ purpura fulgeat ostris

crystallusque meas ornet aquosa manus ?
omnia surda tacent^ rarisque assueta kalendis

vix aperit clausos una puella Lares^
Craugidos et catulae vox est mihi grata querentis :

illa tui partem vindicat una toro.
flore sacella tego^ verbenis compita velo^

et crepat ad veteres herba Sabina focos.
sive in finitimo gemuit stans noctua tigno,

seu voluit tangi parca lucerna mero^ 60

illa dies hornis caedem denuntiat agnis^

succinctique calent ad nova lucra popae.
ne^ precor^ ascensis tanti sit gloria Bactris,

raptave odorato carbasa lina duci^
plumbea cum tortae sparguntur pondera fundae^

subdolus et versis increpat arcus equis !
sed (tua sic domitis Parthae telluris alumnis

pura triumphantis hasta sequatur equos)

1 acrius Postgate : africus NFL.

2 nunc Ilousman : tibi FL : te N,

284

THE ELElGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

delays thee. Happy Hippolyte ! bare-breasted she
bore arms and savage-hearted hid her soft locks
beneath the helm. Would that the camps of Rome
had opened their gates to women ; then had I been
the faithful burden of thy warfare. Nor would
Scythia's hilis delay me when Father Jove binds the
deep waters to ice with keener cold. Love is mighty
ever^ but mightier far for an acknowledged husband ;
this flame Venus herself fans that it may live.

^^ To what purpose now should robes of purple shine
for me or clear crystal adorn my fingers ? AU things
are silent and deaf ; the Lares' closed shrine is opened
on the Kalends^ that come so seldom^ and scarce
even then by one soUtary handmaid on her accus-
tomed round. Dear to me is the whine of the Uttle
dog Craugis : she only ciaims thy place in my bed.
I cover shrines with flowers^ I wreathe the cross-
roads with sacred branches^ and the herb Sabine i
crackles for me on ancient altars. If the owl perched
on some neighbouring bough makes moan^ or the
lamp^ as it burns low, needs the sprinkUng of wine^^
that day orders sacrifice of this year's lambs, and
the high-girt priests busy themselves to win fresh
profit.

^^ Count not^ I pray^ too high the glory of scaling
Bactra's waUs^ or the spoil of fine Unen torn from
some perfumed chief, in that hour when the bolts of
the twisted sUng are scattered abroad and the crafty
bow twangs from the flying steed ! But — so when
Parthia's nursUngs are tamed may the headless

^ There were two kinds of herb Sabine, one resembHng a
cypress in leaf, the other identical with amaracus^ or marjoram.
It was used as incense.

2 The sputtering of a lamp was a good omen. The wine was
dropped on the flame to ratify the omen.

285

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

incorrupta mei conserva foedera lecti !

hac ego te sola lege redisse velim : 70

armaque cum tulero portae votiva Capenae^

subscribam salvo grata pvella viro.

IV

Tarpeivm nemus et Tarpeiae turpe sepulcrum

fabor et antiqui limina capta lovis.
hunc Tatius montem^ vallo praecingit acerno^ 7

fidaque suggesta castra coronat humo.
quid tum Roma fuit^ tubicen vicina Curetis

cum quateret lento murmure saxa lovis^ 10

atque ubi nunc terris dicuntur iura subactis^

stabant Romano pila Sabina Foro ? ^
murus erant montes : ubi nunc est Curia saepta_,

bellicus exili ^ fonte bibebat equus. 14

lucus erat fehx hederoso conditus antro^ 3

multaque nativis obstrepit arbor aquis^ 4

Silvani ramosa domus_, quo dulcis ab aestu 5

fistula poturas ire iubebat oves.'* 6

hinc Tarpeia deae fontem libavit : at ilh 1 5

urgebat medium fictiUs urna caput.
et satis una malae potuit mors esse puellae^

quae voluit flammas fallere^ Vesta_, tuas ?

1 montem Heinsius : fontem NFL.

2 foro / ; f oco NFL. 3 exili Postgate : ex illo NFL,
4 3-G and 7^14 transposed hy Baehrens,

286

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

spear-shaft ^ follow thy triumphant steeds ! — do thou
keep unsullied the pact that binds thee to my bed I
'Tis the sole condition on which I would have thee
return ! Then when I shall have carried thine armour
and votive offering to the Capene gate I will write
beneath it : the thankoffering of a grateful wife

FOR HER HUSBANd's SAFETY.

IV

I wiLL tell of the Tarpeian grove^ of Tarpeia's
shameful tomb^ and of the capture of the house of
ancient Jove. This mount did Tatius gird with
paHsade of maple and ringed his camp securely with
circUng mound. What was Rome in those days when
the trumpeter of Cures made the neighbouring cUffs^
where Jove sits throned^ tremble before his long-
drawn blast, and when Sabine javehns stood in the
Roman Forum_, where now laws are given to the con-
quered world ? Rome had no ramparts save her hills.
Where now stands the Senate-house hedged in by
walls. once the war-horse drank from a slender spring.

^ A goodly grove there was^ hidden in a rocky^ ivy-
mantled glen^ and many a tree made answering mur-
mur to its native springs. 'Twas the branching home
of Sylvanus^ whither the sweet pipe would call the
sheep from the hot sun to drink. From this spring
Tarpeia drew water for her goddess^ and the urn
of earthenware bowed down her head whereon 'twas
poised.

^'^ Ah ! could one death alone suffice for doom of that
accursed maid that had the heart to betray thy sacred

^ A spear-shaft without a head was a reward for distinguished
military service.

287

SEXTI PROPERtl ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

vidit harenosis Tatium proludere campis

pictaque per flavas arma levare iubas : 20

obstipuit regis facie et regalibus armis^

interque oblitas excidit urna manus.
saepe illa immeritae causata est omina lunae^

et sibi tingendas dixit in amne comas :
saepe tulit blandis argentea lilia Nymphis^

Romula ne faciem laederet hasta Tati :
dumque subit primo Capitolia nubila fumo^

rettulit hirsutis bracchia secta rubis^
et sua Tarpeia residens ita flevit ab arce

vulnera^ vicino non patienda lovi : 80

^^ Ignes castrorum et Tatiae praetoria turmae

et formosa ^ oculis arma Sabina meis,
o utinam ad vestros sedeam captiva Penates,

dum captiva mei conspicer ora ^ Tati !
Romani montes^ et montibus addita Roma^

et valeat probro Vesta pudenda meo !
ille equus, ille meos in castra reponet amores_,

cui Tatius dextras collocat ipse iubas !
quid mirum in patrios Scyllam saevisse capillos,

candidaque in saevos inguina versa canes ? 40

prodita quid mirum fraterni cornua monstri^

cum patuit lecto stamine torta via ?
quantum ego sum Ausoniis crimen factura puellis,

improba virgineo lecta ministra foco !
Pallados exstifictos si quis mirabitur ignes,

ignoscat : lacrimis spargitur ara meis.

^ formosa T : famosa NFL. ^ Qi-a g- : esse NFL.

288

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

fire, O Vesta ? She saw Tatius practise for battle on
the sandy plain and lift his flashing spear amid the
yellow helmet-plumes. Dumbstruck she marvelled at
the kings face and at the kingly armour^ and the urn
fell from her forgetful hands. Often did she plead
that the rnoon boded ill — yet the moon was guiltless —
and said that she must bathe her locks in the running
stream, Often she offered silvery UHes to the kindly
nymphs^ that the spear of Romulus might not wound
the face of Tatius ; and while she cUmbed the Capitol
clouded with the first smoke of morning she came home
with arms torn by rough brambles. And thus as she
sate on the Tarpeian height she bewailed the wounds
that Jove in his dweUing hard by might not forgive :

^^ ^' Watchfires of the camp and thou^ royal tent
amidst the host of Tatius^ and Sabine armour so lovely
to mine eyes^ would that I might sit a captive before
your household gods^ if so I might behold the face of
Tatius ! FareweU_, ye hiUs of Rome^ and Rome that
crowns the hiUs^ and Vesta brought to shame by my
sin ! That horse^ o'er whose right shoulder Tatius
smooths the mane^ that horse and none other shaU
bear me love-maddened to his camp^ my home.

39 (i What marvel if ScyUa waxed fi erce against her
father's locks and her white waist was transformed to
fierce hounds } What marvel that the horns of the
monstrous brother ^ were betrayed, when the path
was revealed by the gathering of the thread } What
reproach I shaU bring upon Ausonia's maids^ I the
traitress that was chosen to be the handmaid of the
virgin hearth ! If any shaU marvel that the fires of
PaUas ^ are extinguished^ let him pardon me ! The
altar is sprinkled with my tears !

1 The Minotaur. 2 ^y^ image of Minerva was kept in

the temple of Vesta and repiited to he the Palhidium of Troy.

T i^icSy

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

cras^ ut mmor ait^ tota purgabitur ^ urbe :

tu cape spinosi rorida terga iugi.
lubrica tota via est et perfida : quippe tacentes

fallaci celat limite semper aquas. 50

o utinam magicae nossem cantamina Musae !

haec quoque formoso lingua tulisset opem.
te toga picta decet^ non quem sine matris honore

nutrit inhumanae dura papilla lupae.
sic hospes pariamne tua regina sub aula ?

dos tibi non humilis prodita Roma venit.
si minus, at raptae ne sint impune Sabinae,

me rape et alterna lege repende vices !
commissas acies ego possum solvere : nuptae^

vos medium palla foedus inite mea. 60

adde Hymenaee modos, tubicen fera murmura conde :

credite^ vestra meus molliet arma torus.
et iam quarta canit venturam bucina lucem,

ipsaque in Oceanum sidera lapsa cadunt.
experiar somnum^ de te mihi somnia quaeram :

fac venias ocuHs umbra benigna meis."
dixit, et incerto permisit bracchia somno,

nescia vae furiis ^ accubuisse novis.
nam Vesta^ Iliacae felix tutela favillae,

culpam aUt et plures condit in ossa faces. 70

illa ruit, qualis celerem prope Thermodonta

Strymonis abscisso pectus ^ aperta sinu.

1 purgabitnr codd, Cantah., Voss. 81, Berolin. Diez. B. Jfl ;
pugnabitur NFL.

2 vae furiis Itali : nefariis NPL,

3 pectus Hertzherg : fertur NFL.

290

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

47 ^^ To-morrow, so rumour tells^ there shall be a
purification through all the city ; do thou take the dewy
ridge of the thorn-clad hill. The path is sHppery and
treacherous through all its length : for alway it hides
silent waters on its deceitful track. Would that I
knew the charms of the magic Muse ! Then had my
tongue also brought thee succour^ my beauteous lover !
The royal robe beseems thee rather than that mother-
less wight^ whom the rude teat of the savage she-
wolf suckled.

55 «^«^ Wilt thou make me thy queen on these terms^
O stranger^ and shall I bear thee children in thy halls ?
With me comes Rome betrayed^ no puny dower ! If
thou wilt not have me thus^ ravish me and have thy
vengeance in turn^ that the Sabine maids be not
ravished unavenged ! I have the power to part the
hosts when locked in battle : enter^ ye brides^ on
reconcihng peace ! My robe of marriage shows the
way ! And do thou^ Hymenaeus^ sound thy strain :
trumpeter^ hush thy wild blasts ; beUeve me^ my
marriage-bed shall assuage your warfare.

63 ^<^Now the fourth bugle sings the approach of
dawn^ and the stars themselves sink to their rest in
Ocean. I will try sleep and will seek for dreams of
thee : grant that thy semblance may come to cheer
mine eyes.'*

^^ She spake^ and let fall her arms in uneasy
slumber : she knew not^ alas ! that she had laid her
down to be the prey of fresh furies. For Vesta^ the
blessed guardian of the Trojan embers^ fed her sin
with fuel and hid more firebrands in her bones. She
rushed away^ Hke the Strymonian Amazon by swift
Thermodon's bank^ with raiment torn and bosom
bared to view,

291

SEXTI PROPERTl ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

urbi festus erat (dixere Parilia Patres),

hic primus coepit moenibus esse dies,
amiua pastorum convivia, lusus in urbe,

cum pagana madent fercula divitiis,
cumque super raros faeni flammantis acervos

traicit immundos ebria turba pedes.^
Romulus excubias decrevit in otia solvi

atque intermissa castra silere tuba. 80

hoc Tarpeia suum tempus rata convenit hostem :

pacta ligat, pactis ipsa futura comes.
mons erat ascensu dubius festoque remissus : ^

nec mora, vocales occupat ense canes.
omnia praebebant somnos : sed luppiter unus

decrevit poenis invigilare tuis.
prodiderat portaeque fidem patriamque iacentem_,

nubendique petit, quem velit, ipsa diem.
at Tatius (neque enim sceleri dedit hostis
honorem)

^^ Nube " ait ^^ et regni scande cubile mei ! " 90
dixit^ et ingestis comitum super obruit armis.

haec^ virgo, officiis dos erat apta tuis.
a duce Tarpeia mons est cognomen adeptus :

0 vigil, iniuste ^ praemia sortis habes.

1 immundos . . . pedes Ttali : immundas . . . dapes NFL.

2 remissusiV; remissis i^Z. 3 iniustei^Z; iniustae iV.

292

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

'^ 'Twas a feast-day in the city — the Fathers named
it PariHa — -the birthday of the walls of Rome, the
yearly banquet of the shepherds^ when the city makes
merry^ when country platters are moistened with rich
fare, and the drunken crowd flings dust-stained feet
o'er heaps of burning hay placed here and there.
Romulus decreed that the watchmen should take
their ease in rest^ that the trumpet should be laid
aside and the camp have silence. Tarpeia deemed
her hour had come and met the foeman : she made
her pact^ herself a part thereof.

^^ The hill was treacherous of ascent^ but unguarded
by reason of the feast ; of a sudden with his sword
he cuts down the noisy watchdogs. All was slumber :
only Jove had resolved to wake that he might work
thy doom, She had betrayed the secret of the gate,
betrayed her prostrate country^ and asked for mar-
riage on the day of her own choice. But Tatius — for
even the foe gave no honour to crime — answered :
" Marry then^ and cHmb thus my royal bed." He
spake and bade his comrades crush her beneath their
piled shields. Such^ Vestal^ was thy dower^ meet
guerdon of thy services.

^^ The hill took its name from Tarpeia^ the foe-
man's guide. O watcher^ unjustly hast thou won this
recompense for thy doom.^

1 I.e.y siich was Tarpeia's crime that -she did not deserve to
have the rock called after her.

29S

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

Terra tuum spinis obducat^ lena_, sepulcrum,

et tua^ quod non vis^ sentiat umbra sitim ;
nec sedeant cineri Manes^ et Cerberus ultor

turpia ieiuno terreat ossa sono !
docta vel Hippolytum Veneri mollire negantem^

concordique toro pessima semper avis^
Penelopen quoque neglecto rumore mariti

nubere lascivo cogeret Antinoo.
illa velit^ poterit magnes non ducere ferrum,

et volucris nidis esse noverca suis. 10

quippe et^ Collinas ad fossam moverit herbas^

stantia currenti diluerentur aqua :
audax cantatae leges imponere lunae

et sua nocturno fallere terga lupo^
posset ut ^ intentos astu caecare maritos_,

cornicum immeritas eruit ungue genas_,
•consuluitque striges nostro de sanguine^ et in me

hippomanes fetae semina legit equae.
exercebat opus verbis heu blanda perinde

saxosam atque forat sedula talpa ^ viam : 20

^^ Si te Eoa fDorozantum ^ iuvat aurea ripa^

et quae sub Tyria concha superbit aqua^

1 ut r : et NFL.

2 exercebat . . . hea blanda perinde saxosam atque Hous-
man : exorabat . . . ceu blanda perure saxosamque NFL.
forat Rossberg : ferat NFL, talpa v : culpa NFL.

3 dorozantum N : derorantum FL ; prohahly corrupt.

294

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

V

May the earth cover thy tomb with tliorns^ thou
bawd^ and may thy shade be parched with thirst^ for
thirst thou hatest. May thy ghost find no rest
among thine ashes^ and may vengeful Cerberus fright
thy dishonoured bones with hungry howl.

^ Skilled to win even Hippolytus that said
^'^Nay" to love^ and ever worst of omens to lovers'
peace^ she could force even Penelope to be deaf to
rumours of her husband's safety and to wed witli
wanton Antinous. Shouid she will it^ the magnet
will refuse to draw the steel^ and the bird prove a
stepmother to her nesthngs. Nay^ did she bring
herbs from the ColHne field to the magic trench^
things soHd would dissolve into running water. She
dared put spells upon the moon to do her bidding
and to disguise her shape beneath the form of the
night-prowUng wolf, that by her cunning she might
bUnd jealous husbands^ and with her nails she tore
out the undeserving eyes of crows ; she consulted
owls how she might have my blood^ and gathered
for my destruction the charm that drips froni the
pregnant mare.^

i^ She pUed her task^, alas ! with flattering words^
even as the persistent mole bores out its stony path.
Thus would she speak : '^ If the golden shores of the
Dorozantes deHght thee^ or the sheU that flaunts
its purple in the Tyrian sea^ if Eurypyhis' weft of

^ Cp. Vergil, Georg, III. 280 : hippomanes vero quod nomine
dicunt I pastores, lentum distillat ab inyuine virus \ hippo-
7/ianes, quod saepe malae legere riovercae*

^95

SEXTI PROPERTl ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

Eurypylique placet Coae textura Minervae,

sectaque ab Attalicis })utria signa toris^
seu quae palmiferae mittunt venalia Thebae_,

murreaque in Parthis pocula cocta focis ;
sperne fidem^ provolve deos^ mendacia vincant^

frange et ^ damnosae iura pudicitiae I
et simulare virum pretium facit : utere causis !

maior dilata nocte recurret amor. 30

si tibi forte comas vexaverit^ utilis ira :

postmodo mercata pace premendus erit.
denique ubi amplexu Venerem promiseris empto,

fac simules puros Isidis esse dies.
ingerat Apriles lole tibi^ tundat Amycle

natalem Mais Idibus esse tuum.
sapplex ille sedet — posita tu scribe cathedra

quidUbet : has artes si pavet ille^ tenes !
semper habe morsus circa tua colla recentes^

litibus alternis quos putet esse datos. 40

nec te Medeae delectent probra sequacis

(nempe tulit fastus ausa rogare prior)^
sed potius mundi Thais pretiosa Menandri^

cum ferit astutos comica moecha Getas.
in mores te verte viri : si cantica iactat^

i comes et voces ebria iunge tuas.
ianitor ad dantes vigilet : si pulset inanis^,

surdus in obductam somniet usque seram.^

1 frange et 5~ : frangent NFL.

2 This couplet is found in a Pompeian imll-inscription ; see
C.LL, 4, 1S94. The inscription gires dantis a7id pulsat.

296

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

Coan silk please thee or crumbling figures cut from
coverlets of gold^ or the wares sent from pahn-bear-
ing Thebes and myrrhine ^ goblets baked in Parthian
kilns^ then spurn thine oath^ and down with the
gods ! Let Hes win the day I Break all the laws of
chastity ; they bring but loss ! Feigri that thou hast
a husband ; 'twill heighten thy price ! Use every
excuse l Love will return with added fire after a
night's delay. If perchance he be angry and tear
thy hair^ his anger shall bring thee profit ; after
that thou must torment him till he purchase peace.
Then when he has bought thine embraces and thou
hast promised ]iim enjoyment of thy love^ see that
thou feign that the days of Isis are come^ enjoin-
ing abstinence. Let lole thrust on thy notice that
ApriFs Kalends are near^ let Amycle din into thine
ears that thy birthday falls on the Ides of May. He
sits in supplication before thee. Take thy chair and
write somewhat : if he trembles at these tricks thou
hast him fast ! Ever have fresh bites about thy
throat^ that he may deem to have been given in the
strife of love. But dehght not thou in the raihng of
importunate Medea — she was cast off that had dared
be first to ask for love. But rather be costly Thais thy
pattern^ of whom Menander's wit hath told^ when the
harlot of the stage tricks the shrewd Scythian slaves.
^^ '^ Change thy ways to suit thy man. If he
boasts his powers of song^ accompany him and join
thy drunken voice to his. Let thy porter be open-
eyed for them that bring gifts ; if he that knocks be
empty-handed^ let him sleep on^ propped on the bar

1 It is not certain what murra was. Some take it to be
Chinese porcelain, others hold it to be tluor-spar. Propertius
seems to describe it as baked in kilns. Pliny, however, speaks
of it as a natural product caused by the heat of the earth.

297

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

nec tibi displiceat miles non factus amori^

nauta nec attrita si ferat aera manu^ 50

aut quorum titulus per barbara colla pependit;,

cretati^ medio cum saluere foro.
aurum spectato^ non quae manus afferat aurum !

versibus auditis quid nisi verba feres ?
Quid iuvat ornato procedere^ vita^ capillo

et tenuis Coa veste movere sinus ? '
qui versus^ Coae dederit nec munera vestis^

ipsius tibi sit surda sine aere '^ lyra.
dum vernat sanguis^ dum rugis integer annus^

utere^ ne quid cras libet ab ore dies ! 60

vidi ego odorati victura rosaria Paesti

sub matutino cocta iacere Noto."
his animum nostrae dum versat Acanthis amicae^

per tenuem ossa mihi sunt numerata cutem.^
sed cape torquatae^ Venus o regina^, columbae

ob meritum ante tuos guttura secta focos.
vidi ego rugoso tussim concrescere collo^

sputaque per dentes ire cruenta cavos^
atque animam in tegetes putrem exspirare paternas :

horruit algenti pergula curta ^ foco. 70

exsequiae fuerant rari furtiva capilli

vincula et immundo palHda mitra situ^
et canis^ in nostros nimis experrecta dolores^

cum fallenda meo pollice clatra forent.

^ cretati Passerat : caelati NFL. 2 aere N : arte FL.

3 tenuem ossa mihi . . . cutem Jacob : tenues ossa . . .
cutes NFL.

4 pergula Beroaldus : percula NL: parvula F. curta 5":
curva NFL.

298

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

that is drawn across the door. Nor would I have thee
spurn soldiers not made for love^ nor sailors^ if their
horny hands bring eoin^ nor yet one of those on whose
barbarian necks the salesman*s bill has hung^ when
with whitened feet they danced in the market-
place.^ Look to the gold^ not to the hand that brings
it. Though thou give ear to their verse^ what will be
thine save empty words ? ^ What boots it^ light of
my hfe^ to go forth with locks adorned^ and to rustle
in slender folds of Coan silk ? ' ^ Who brings thee
verse yetnever a gift of Coan raiment^ let his lyre meet
with deaf ears^ since it brings no pelf. While spring
is in the blood and thy years know not wrinkles^, use
thy tinie^ lest the morrow take toll of thy beauty !
I have seen the rose-beds of perfumed Paestum
that should have Uved He blasted at morn by the
Scirocco's breath.'*

^^ W^hile thus Acanthis phed my mistress' soul^ all
my bones might be counted beneath the shrunken
skin. But do thou^, Queen Venus^ receive my thank-
offering^ a ring-dove's throat cut before thine altar.
I saw the cough clot in her wrinkled throat^ and
the bloodstained spittle trickle through her hollow
teeth. I saw her breathe out her plague-struck
spirit on the blankets that were once her father's :
the hearth was chill and the brokeri shed where she
lay shivered for cold. For pomp of funeral she had
but the stolen bands that bound her scanty hair^ a
mutch with colour dimmed by foul neglect ; and the
dog that of old was over-wakeful for my woes^ when
with stealthy fingers I had to shp the bolts that

^ It was customary to whiten the feet of slaves put up
for sale. They were made to dance to show their physical
vigour.

2 A quotatioD from I. il. 1, 2,

299

SEXTI PROPERTl ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

sit tumulus lenae curto vetus amphora collo :
• urgeat hunc supra vis^ caprifice^ tua.
quisquis amas^ scabris hoc bustum caedite saxis^
mixtaque cum saxis addite verba mala !

VI

Sacra faoit vates : sint ora faventia sacris^

et cadat ante meos icta iuvenca focos.
serta ^ Philetaeis certet Romana corymbis^

et Cyrenaeas urna ministret aquas.
costum molle date et blandi mihi turis honores^

terque focum circa laneus orbis eat. .
spargite me lymphis^ carmenque recentibus aris

tibia Mygdoniis libet eburna cadis.
ite procul fraudes^ alio sint aere noxae :

pura novum vati laurea molUt iter. 10

Musa, Palatini referemus ApolUnis aedem :

res est^ CaUiope, digna favore tuo.
Caesaris in nomen ducuntur carmina : Caesar

dum canitur^ quaeso^ luppiter ipse vaces.
est Phoebi fugiens Athamana ad Utora portus^

qua sinus loniae murmura condit aquae,
Actia luleae pelagus monumenta carinae^

nautarum votis non operosa via.
huc mundi coiere manus : stetit aequore moles

pinea^ nec remis aequa favebat avis. 20

300

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

barred the door. Let the bawd's tomb be an old
wine-jar with broken neck_, and over it_, wild fig-tree^
put thou forth thy might. Whoe'er thou art that
lovest^ batter this grave with jagged stones^ and
mingled with the stones add words of cursing !

VI

The priest doth sacrifice ; be silent all that his sacri-
fice may prosper^ and let the heifer fall smitten before
mine altar-hearths. Let the garland of Rome vie
with the ivy-clusters of Philetas^ and let the urn
serve me with water of Cyrene. Give me soft nard
and offerings of appeasing incense^ and thrice about
the hearth be the woolien fillet twined. Sprinkle
me with water^ and by the new-built altar let the
ivory pipe make Ubation of song from Phrygian
vessels. Fly hence afar all guile^ and beneath other
skies let mischief dwell ; new is the path the priest
must tread^ but the pure laurel-branch doth make it
smooth for him.

^^ My Muse^ we will tell of the temple of Palatine
Apollo ; CalHope^ the theme is worthy of thy favour.
My songs are spun for the glory of Caesar : while
Caesar is the theme of song^ do thou^ Jupiter^ even
thou^ rest from thy labours and give ear.

^^ By the Athamanian shores where Phoebus dwells
there lies a haven^ whose bay hushes the roar of the
lonian sea^ Actium's wide water that guards the
memory of the Julian bark^ and gives easy entrance
to the mariner's prayer. Here met the hosts of all
the world : motionless on the deep stood the huge
ships of pine^ yet smiled not fortune alike on all their

301

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

altera classis erat Teucro damnata Quirino,

pilaque femineae turpiter apta manu :
hinc Augusta ratis plenis lovis omine velis^

signaque iam patriae vincere docta suae.
tandem acies geminos Nereus lunarat in arcus^

armorum et radiis picta tremebat aqua^
cum Phoebus linquens stantem se vindice Delon

(nam tulit iratos mobiHs una ^ Notos)
astitit Augusti puppim super^ et nova flamma

luxit in obUquam ter sinuata facem. 30

non ille attulerat crines in colla solutos

aut testudineae carmen inerme lyrae^
sed quah aspexit Pelopeum Agamemnona vultu^

egessitque avidis Dorica castra rogis^
aut quaUs flexos solvit Pythona per orbes

serpentem^ imbelles quem timuere deae.^
mox ait ^' O longa mundi servator ab Alba^

Auguste^ Hectoreis cognite maior avis^
vince mari : iam terra tua est : tibi miUtat arcus

et favet ex umeris hoc onus omne meis. 40

solve metu patriam, quae nunc te vindice freta

imposuit prorae pubUca vota tuae.
quam nisi defendes, murorum Romulus augur

ire Palatinas non bene vidit aves.
et nimium remis audent prope : turpe Latinos ^

principe te fluctus regia vela pati.

1 una r: unda NFL.

2 deae ed. Etonensis : lyrae NFL.

3 Latinos Marhland : latinis NFL.

.802

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

oars. There stood one fleet^ doomed by Trojan
Quirinus^ and Roman javelins — ah ! shame ! — were
grasped in a woman's hand. And there stood the
ship of Augustus^ its sails filled by the blessing of
Jove^ its standards long since taught to conquer for
their country^s sake. And now Nereus had bent the
lines to twin crescent curves and the water quivered
bright with the flash of arms^ when Phoebus^ leaving
Delos^ that abides fi.rmly rooted now beneath his pro-
tection — for once alone of isles it was the sport of the
South Wind's anger — took his stand above Augustus'
ship^ and thrice a strange flame shone forth^ bent like
the slant hghtning-flash. He came not with hair
streaming o'er his neck or with peaceful music of the
tortoise lyre ; but his face was as when he looked on
Agamemnon Pelops' son^ and carried forth the warriors
of the Dorian camp to the greedy funeral pyre ; ^ or
as when he slew the serpent Python^ the terror of
the peaceful Muses, and relaxed its coils in death.

^^ Then he spake : '^ O saviour of the world^ Augus-
tus^ sprung from Alba Longa and known for greater
than thy Troj an sires^ conquer now by sea ! Already the
land is thine. My bow fights for thee^ and every arrow
that burdens my shoulders wishes thee well. Free
thy country from fear^ thy country that^ relying on
thy protection^ hath freighted thy bark with a nation's
prayers. If thou defend her not, 'twas in evil hour
that Romulus^ as he sought omens for the founding
of his walls^ beheld the birds fly forth from the
Palatine. Aye ! and too near they venture with their
oars ! Shame that Latium's waves^ while thou art
prince^ should bear the sails of a queen ! Nor let it

1 A reference to the plague sent by Apollo to punish
Agamemnon for the rape of Chryseis. See lliad^ i.

303

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV
nec te_, quod classis centenis remiget alis^

terreat : invito labitur illa mari :
quodque vehunt prorae Centaurica saxa minantes,

tigna cava et pictos experiere metus. 50

frangit et attollit vires in milite causa ;

quae nisi iusta subest^ excutit arma pudor.
tempus adest^ committe rates : ego temporis auctor

ducam laurigera lulia rostra manu."
dixerat^ et pharetrae pondus consumit in arcus :

proxima post arcus Caesaris hasta fuit.
vincit Roma fide Phoebi : dat femina poenas :

sceptra per lonias fracta vehuntur aquas.
at pater IdaUo miratur Caesar ab astro :

^^Sum deus ; est nostri sanguinis ista fides." 60
prosequitur cantu Triton^ omnesque marinae

plauserunt circa Ubera signa deae.
illa petit Nilum cumba male nixa fugaci^

hoc unum^ iusso non moritura die.
di melius ! quantus muUer foret una triumphus^

ductus erat per quas ante lugurtha vias !
Actius hinc traxit Phoebus monumenta^ quod eius

una decem vicit missa sagitta rates.
beUa satis cecini : citharam iam poscit ApoUo

victor et ad placidos exuit arma choros. 70

candida nunc moUi subeant convivia luco ;

blanditiaeque fluant per mea colla rosae^

804

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

fright thee that their fleet is winged^ each ship, with an
hundred oars. The sea whereon it sails will have none
of it. And though the prows bear figures threaten-
ing to cast rocks such as centaurs throw^ thou shalt
find them but hollow planks and painted terrors.
'Tis his cause that makesormars a soldiers strength.
If the cause be not just^ shame strikes the weapon
from his hands. The time is come ! Launch thy ships
upon the foe ! 'Tis I appoint the hour of battle and
will guide the JuHan prows with laurel-bearing hand."

^^ He spake and gave his quiver's burden to the
bow; after his shafts the spear of Caesar was first
to fly. Phoebus kept troth and Rome conquered ;
the woman met her doom^ and broken sceptre^^
floated on Ionia's waves. But his sire Caesar gazed
marvelling from his Idalian star : ^ ^^ I am a god, and
thy victory gives proof that thou art sprung from our
blood." Triton hailed the victor with his song^ and
all the sea-goddesses clapped their hands around the
standards of Hberty. But she^ vainly trusting in her
fiying sloop^ sought the Nile ; this only did she win^
death at the hour of her own choice. Heaven willed
it and 'twas better so ; how mean a triumph would one
woman make in those streets through which Jugurtha
once was led !

^^ Hence Actian Phoebus won his temple. Each
arrow sped from his bow vanquished ten vessels of
the foe.

^^ I have sung enough of war : victorious Apollo
now demands my lyre^ and doffs his armour for the
dances of peace. Let white-robed banqueters enter
the luxuriant grove^ and winsome roses stream about

1 The star of Caesar was a comet which appeared shortly
after his death. It is called Idalian because the (/enn lulia
trBoed their descent from Venus through Aenoas.

u 305

SEXTl PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

vinaque fundantur prelis elisa Falernis^

terque ^ lavet nostras spica Cilissa eomas.
ingenium potis ^ irritet Musa poetis :

Bacche^ soles Phoebo fertilis esse tuo.
ille paludosos memoret servire Sycambros^

Cepheam hic Meroen fuscaque regna canat^
hic referat sero confessum foedere Parthum :

^^ Reddat signa Remi^ mox dabit ipse sua : 80

sive aliquid pharetris Augustus parcet Eois^

differat in pueros ista tropaea suos.
gaude^ Crasse^ nigras si quid sapis inter harenas :

ire per Euphraten ad tua busta licet."
sic noctem patera^ sic ducam carmine^ donec

iniciat radios in mea vina dies.

VII

SvNT aliquid Manes : letum non omnia finit,

luridaque evictos ^ efFugit umbra rogos.
Cynthia namque meo visa est incumbere fulcro^

murmur ad extremae nuper humata viae^
cum mihi somnus ab exsequiis penderet amoris^

et quererer lecti frigida regna mei.
eosdem habuit secum quibus est elata capilUs,

eosdem oculos : lateri vestis adusta fuit^
et solitum digito beryllon adederat ignis^

summaque Lethaeus triverat ora Hquor. 10

spirantisque animos et vocem misit : at illi

pollicibus fragiles increpuere manus :

1 terque 5" : perque NFL. 2 potis r : positis NFL.

3 evictos ^: eiunctos N : evinctos FL.

306

TIIE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS ROOK IV

my neck. Be wine outpoured crushed in Falemian
presses^ and thrice let CiHcian saffron bathe my locks.
Let the Muse stir poets that now are fired with wine ;
Bacchus^ 'tis thy wont to inspire Phoebus whom thou
lovest. Let one tell how the Sycambri of the marsh
have bowed to slavery^ another sing of the dusky
realms of Cephean Meroe ; let another record how
late in time the Parthian hath made truce and owned
defeat. '^ Let him return the standards of Remus ;
soon shall he yield up his own. Or if Augustus spare
for a little the quivers of the East^ let him put off
those trophies that his boys ^ may win them. Rejoice,
Crassus^ if thou knowest aught in the darkness of the
sands where thou Uest : now may we cross Euphrates
to thy grave.'* Thus will I pass the night with drink
and thus with song^ till dawn shall cast its rays upon
my wine.

VII

The Shades are no fable : death is not the end of
all^ and the pale ghost escapes the vanquished pyre.
For Cynthia seemed to bend o' er my couch's head,
Cynthia so lately buried beside the roaring road^ as
fresh from love's entombment I slept a broken sleep
and mourned that the bed that was my kingdom was
void and cold. Her hair^ her eyes were the same as
when she was borne to the grave : her raiment was
charred against her side^ and the fire had eaten away
the beryl ring her finger wore^ and the water of
Lethe had withered her Hps. Spirit and voice yet
Hved, but the thumb-bones rattled on her brittle
hands.

^ The grandsons of Augustus, Lucius and Caius Caesaiv

307

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV
^^ Perfide nec cuiquam melior sperande puellae^

in te iam vires somnus habere potest ?
iamne tibi exciderant vigilacis furta Suburae

et mea nocturnis trita fenestra dolis ?
per quam demisso quotiens tibi fune pependi^

alterna veniens in tua colla manu !
saepe Venus trivio commissa ^ est_, pectore mixto

fecerunt tepidas pallia nostra vias. 20

foederis heu taciti^, cuius fallacia verba

non audituri diripuere Noti I
at mihi non oculos quisquam inclamavit euntis :

unum impetrassem te revocante diem :
nec crepuit fissa me propter harundine custos^

laesit et obiectum tegula curta caput.
denique quis nostro curvum te funere vidit^

atram quis lacrimis incaluisse togam ?
si piguit portas ultra procedere^ at illuc

iussisses lectum lentius ire meum. 30

cur ventos non ipse rogis^ ingrate^ petisti ?

cur nardo flammae non oluere meae ?
hoc etiam grave erat^ nulla mercede liyacinthos

inicere et fracto busta piare cado.
Lygdamus uratur, candescat lammina vernae :

sensi ego^ cum insidiis palUda vina bibi.
aut Nomas arcanas tollat versuta salivas :

dicet damnatas ignea testa manus.

^ commisBa S' : commixta NFL.
308

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

13 <^^ False heart ! " she cried, '^ — yet ne'er may
woman hope for truer — can sleep have power on thee
so soon ? So soon hast thou forgotten the guile we
practised in the sleepless Subura and my window
worn by our cunning in the night ? — that window from
which so oft for thy sake I let down the rope and
hung in mid air^ as with alternate hand descending
I came to thine embrace. Oft at the cross-roads
were our rites accompUshed and the street grew
warm beneath our cloaks. Alas for that wordless
bond whose cheating terms the deaf wind of the
South-West has swept away ! Yet no man called
upon my name as I passed and mine eyeUds closed :
surely hadst thou recaUed me, I had been granted
one more day. No watchman rattied his cleft reed
for my sake^ and a broken tile wounded my defence-
less brow.^ ^y^j» ^^^ who saw thee bowed with grief
at my graveside ? who saw thy robe of mourning grow
hot with thy tears ? If it vexed thee to go further
than my portal^ yet thus far thou mightest have
bidden my bier be borne more slowly. Why^ un-
grateful^ prayedst thou not for winds to fan my pyre ?
Why were the flames wherein I burned not fragrant
with nard ? Was this also a burden^ to cast hyacinths
— no costly gift — upon me and to appease mine ashes
with wine from the shattered jar ?

^^ ^^ Let Lygdamus be burned^ let the branding-iron
glow white for the slave of mine house ! I knew his
guilt when 1 drank the wine that struck me pale.
And as for Nomas^ let her hide her secret poisons if
she wiU ! The burning potsherd shaU convict her

1 The meaniag of this Une is uncertain. It may mean

(1) that her head was propped on the bier bya broken tile, or

(2) that on the- way to burial her head was cut by a falling
tile.

309

SEXTI PROPERTl ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

quae modo per viles inspecta est publica noctes,

haec nunc aurata cyclade signat humum, 40

et graviora rependit iniquis pensa quasillis^

garrula de facie si qua locuta mea est ;
nostraque quod Petale tulit ad monumenta
eoronas,

codicis immundi vincula sentit anus ;
caeditur et Lalage tortis suspensa capillis^

per nomen quoniam est ausa rogare meum ;
te patiente meae conflavit imaginis aurum,

ardente e nostro dotem habitura rogo.
non tamen insector^ quamvis mereare^ Properti :

longa mea in libris regna fuere tuis. 50

iuro ego Fatorum nulli revolubile carmen^

tergeminusque canis sic mihi molle sonet^
me servasse fidem. si fallo, vipera nostris

sibilet in tumuHs et super ossa cubet.
nam gemina est sedes turpem sortita per amnem^

turbaque diversa remigat omnis aqua :
una Clytaemestrae stuprum vehit^ altera Cressae

portat mentitae Hgnea monstra bovis :
ecce coronato pars altera rapta ^ phaselo^

mulcet ubi Elysias aura beata rosas^ 60

qua numerosa fides^ quaque aera rotunda^ Cybelles

mitratisque sonant Lydia plectra choris.
Andromedeque et Hypermestre sine fraude
maritae

narrant historias^ pectora nota^ suas : ^
haec sua maternis * queritur Hvere catenis

bracchia nec meritas frigida saxa manus ;

^ rapta Palmer : parta NFL.

2 quaque aera rotunda Turnehus : qua quaerar ut unda iV,
and simUar corruptions in FL.

3 historias . . . ^usls Marhland : historiae , . . suae NFL,

4 sua maternis /x : suma eternis L : summa eternis NF.

310

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

hands of guilt. She that of old was public to all
men's gaze and asked so little for her love^ now
marks the dust with her train's golden hem^ and if
some chattering slave hath praised my beauty^ requites
her unjustly with heavier tasks of wool. For bear-
ing wreaths to my sepulchre aged Petale is shackled
to a foul clog of wood^ while Lalage is hung by
her twisted hair for daring to ask a boon in my
name.

^' ^' And thou didst suffer her to melt mine image
of gold^ that so she might win her dowry from the
flame that consumed me. Yet I chide thee not,
Propertius^ though thou deservest my chiding : long
did 1 reign supreme in thy songs. I swear by the
chant of the Fates that none may make unsung (and
may the three-headed hound lull his baying for me^
as I speak true)^ I swear that I kept faith to thee.
If I He^ may the adder hiss on my tomb and couch
above my bones.

55 f^Xwo mansions are there allotted beside the
foul stream of Hell^ and all the dead must ply the
oar this way or that. One bark bears the adultery
of Clytemestra^ another the monstrous timber of the
feigned Cretan cow ; ^ but lo ! yet others are swept
away in wreathed boat^ where blessed airs fan the
roses of Elysium^ where the harp makes music and
the round cymbals of Cybelle^ and turbaned dancers
strike the Lydian lyre. Andromede and Hyper-
mestra^ souls renowned^ wives without blame^ tell
forth their story. The one complains that her arms
are bruised with the chains brought on her by her
mother's pride^ and that her hands deserved not to

1 See Pasiphae, Index.

311

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARViM LIBER IV

narrat Hypermestre magnum ausas esse sorores^

in scelus hoc animum non valuisse suum.
sic mortis lacrimis vitae sanamus amores :

celo ego perfidiae crimina multa tuae. 70

sed tibi nunc mandata damus^ si forte moveris

si te non totum Chloridos herba tenet :
nutrix in tremulis ne quid desideret annis

Parthenie : patuit^^ nec tibi avara fuit :
deliciaeque meae Latris^ cui nomen ab usu est^

ne speculum dominae porrigat illa novae :
et quoscumque meo fecisti nomine versus^

ure mihi : laudes desine habere meas.
pelle hederam tumulo^ mihi quae pugnante
corymbo

mollia 2 contortis alHgat ossa eomis ; 80

ramosis Anio qua pomifer incubat arvis^

et numquam Herculeo numine pallet ebur ;
hic carmen media dignum me scribe columna^

sed breve^ quod currens vector ab urbe legat :

HIC TIBVRTINA lACET AVREA CYNTHIA TERRA :
ACCESSIT RIPAE LAVS^ ANIENE^ TVAE.

nec tu sperne piis venientia somnia portis :
cum pia venerunt somnia^ pondus habent.

nocte vagae ferimur^ nox clausas liberat umbras^
errat et abiecta Cerberus ipse sera. 90

luce iubent leges Lethaea ad stagna reverti :
nos vehimur^ vectum nauta recenset onus.

1 patuit r : potuit NFL.

2 mollia r : molli NFL.

312

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

be bound to icy crags. Hypermestra tells how her
sisters dared a mighty deed^ and how she had not
heart for such a crime. Thus with the tears of death
we heal the passions of life ; I hide in silence the
many sins of thy faithlessness.

"^i ^^ But now I charge thee^ if perchance my words
move thee, and the spells ^ of Chloris hold not all
thy soul : let my nurse Parthenie lack naught in her
years of palsied eld ; she was kind to thee and
clutched not at thy gold. And let not my darhng
Latris^ whose name came from her service^^ hold up
the mirror for another mistress. And all the verses
thou didst make in mine honour^ burn them^ I pray
thee ; cease to win praise through me. Drive the
ivy from my tomb^ that with grappUng cluster and
twining leaves binds my frail bones^ where apple-
bearing Anio broods o'er its orchard meadows and by
the favour of Hercules the ivory ne'ergrows yellow.^
And write these verses on a pillar's midst ; they shall
be worthy of me^ but brief^ that the traveller may
read them as he hastens by : here golden cynthia

LIES IN THE FIELDS OF TIBUR. ANIO, NEW PRAISE IS
ADDED TO THY BANK.

^'^ ^^ Nor spurn thou visions that come through
holy portals ; when dreams are holy they have the
weight of truth. By night we range in wandering
flight ; night frees the prisoned shades^ and Cer-
berus himself strays at will^ the bar that chains him
cast aside. At dawn HelFs ordinance bids us return
to the pools of Lethe : we are ferried over and the
mariner tells o'er his freight.

1 Lit. " herbs " = love-philtre.

2 Latris, from Xarpeijeiv, " to serve."

3 The air of Tibur was siipposed to preserve ivory. Hercules
was specially worshipped there.

313

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

nunc 1 te possideant aliae : mox sola tenebo :
mecum eris^ et mixtis ossibus ossa teram."

haec postquam querula mecum sub lite peregit,
inter complexus excidit umbra meos.

VIII

Djsce^ quid Esquilias hac nocte fugarit aquosas^

cum vicina Novis turba cucurrit Agris.
Lanuvium annosi vetus est tutela draconis :

hic tibi ^ tam rarae non perit hora morae ;
qua sacer abripitur caeco descensus hiatu^

qua penetrat (virgo^ tale iter omne cave !)
ieiuni serpentis honos^ cum pabula poscit

annua et ex ima sibila torquet humo.
talia demissae pallent ad sacra puellae^

cum temere anguino creditur ore manus. 1 0

ille sibi admotas a virgine corripit escas :

virginis in palmis ipsa canistra tremunt.
si fuerint castae^ redeunt in colla parentum^

clamantque agricolae ^^ FertiHs annus erit."
huc mea detonsis avecta est Cynthia mannis :^

causa fuit luno^ sed mage causa Venus.
Appia, dic quaeso^ quantum te teste triumphum

egerit effusis per tua saxa rotis^
[turpis in arcana sonuit cum rixa taberna ;

si sine me^ famae non sine labe meae.^] 20

1 nunc N : nec FL. , 2 ]^[q tibi r : hic ubi NFL.

3 mannis Beroaldus : ab annis NFL.

4 This Gouplet is clearly alien to the context : Liitjohann would
jpiace it after line 2, perhaps rightly.

314

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

93 (c ^ow let others possess thee ! Soon shalt thou
be mine alone ; with me shalt thou be, and I will
grind bone with mingled bone."

^^ When thus in querulous plaint she had brought
her tale to a close, her spirit vanished from my
embrace.

VIII

Learn what this night struck panic through the
watery EsquiUne^ when all the neighbours ran head-
long through the New Fields.

^ Lanuvium is from of old under the guard of
an ancient serpent ; thou shalt not count it wasted
time if thou give an hour to so wondrous a visit.
Here down a dark chasm plunges a sacred path^
where penetrates the offering of the hungry snake —
beware, O maid^ of all such paths as this ! — when he
demands his yearly tribute of food and sends forth
loud hisses from the depths of earth. Maids that
are sent down to rites such as this turn pale when
their hand is rashly trusted in the serpent^s mouth.
He seizes the morsels that the virgin holds toward
him : even the baskets tremble in the virgin's hands.
If they have been chaste^ they return to embrace
their parents^ and farmers cry : '^ 'Twill be a fertile
year."

^^ Hither was my Cynthia drawn by close-cHpped
ponies. She pleaded Juno's worship ; more truly
had she pleaded rites of Venus. Tell forth^ prithee^
thou Appian Way^ what a triumphal journey she
made before thine eyes^ as her wheels whirled madly
over thy paving-stones^ [when a noisy brawl broke
out in a secret tavern and brought shame on my fair

315

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

spectaclum ipsa sedens primo temone pependit^

ausa per impuros frena movere locos.
Serica nam taceo vulsi carpenta nepotis ^

atque armillatos colla Molossa canes^
qui dabit immundae venalia fata saginae^

vincet ubi erasas barba pudenda genas.
cum fieret nostro totiens iniuria lecto^

mutato volui ^ castra movere toro.
Phyllis Aventinae quaedam est vicina Dianae^

sobria grata parum : cum bibit^ omne decet. 30
altera Tarpeios est inter Teia lucos^

candida^ sed potae non satis unus erit.
his ego constitui noctem lenire vocatis^

et Venere ignota furta novare mea.
unus erat tribus in secreta lectulus herba.

quaeris concubitus ? inter utramque fui.
Lygdamus ad cyathos^ vitrique ^ aestiva supellex

et Methymnaei Graeca saliva meri.
Nile^ tuus tibicen erat^ crotalistria ^ PhylHS;,

et facihs spargi munda sine arte rosa^ 40

Magnus et ipse suos breviter concretus in artus

iactabat truncas ad cava buxa manus.
sed neque suppletis constabat flamma lucernis^

reccidit inque suos mensa supina pedes.

^ Serica nam taceo Beroaldus : si riganam tacto NFL.
nepotis 5" : nepoti NFL,

2 mutato r : mulctato NFL. volui Beroaldus : voluit
NFL.

3 vitrique Saaliger / utrique N : uterque FL.

4 crotalistria Turnehus : eboralistria N : colistria F : coral-
istria L.

316

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

name^ though I was not there]. She was a sight to
see as she sat there bending over the pole's end and
daring to drive amain through rough places. For
I say naught of the silk-hung chariot of the close-
shaven fop^ nor of the dogs with rich coilars about
their Molossian necks ; some day he will sell his
doomed body to feed on the foul fare of a gladiator^
when the beard whereof he is now ashamed shall
master those close-shaven cheeks.

^'^ Since so oft she wronged our bed^ I resolved
to change my couch and pitch my camp elsewhere.
There is a certain PhylUs^ that dwells nigh Diana on
the Aventine. Sober she pleases me Httle ; when
she drinks all is charm. Another there is^ one Teia^
that dwells *twixt the Tarpeian groves ; fair is she,
but when the wine is on her, one lover will be all too
few. These two I resolved to summon to make night
pass less sadly^ and to renew my amorous adventures
with love still strange to me. One Httle couch there
was for three on a secret lawn. Dost ask how we
lay } I was between the two. Lygdamus had charge
of our cups ; we had a service of glass to suit the
summer with Greek wine that smacked of Methymna.
Thou^ Nile^ didst provide us with a piper^ while
PhylHs played the castanets^ and^ fair in her artless
beauty^ was right content to be pelted with roses.
Magnus himself, with short and shrunken limbs^
clapped his deformed hands to the sound of the
hollow boxwood flute. But, though their bowls
were full^ the lamp-flames flickered^ and the table's
top fell upside down on the feet that had supported

S17

sp:xti PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

me quoque per talos Venerum quaerente secundos

semper damnosi subsiluere canes.
cantabant surdo^ nudabant pectora caeco :

Lanuvii ad portas^ ei mihi^ solus eram ;
cum subito rauci sonuerunt cardine postes^,

et levia ad primos murmura facta Lares. 50

nec mora^ cum totas resupinat Cynthia valvas^

non operosa comis^ sed furibunda decens.
pocula mi digitos inter cecidere remissos^

pallueruntque ipso labra soluta mero.
fulminat illa oculis et quantum femina saevit^

spectaclum capta nec minus urbe fuit.
Phyllidos iratos in vultum conicit ungues :

territa vicinas Teia clamat aquas.
lumina sopitos turbant elata Quirites^

omnis et insana semita nocte sonat. 60

illas direptisque comis tunicisque solutis

excipit obscurae prima taberna viae.
Cynthia gaudet in exuviis victrixque recurrit

et mea perversa sauciat ora manu,
imponitque notam collo morsuque cruentat,

praecipueque oculos^ qui meruere^ ferit.
atque ubi iam nostris lassavit bracchia plagis_,

Lygdamus ad plutei fulcra ^ sinistra latens
eruitur^ geniumque meum protractus adorat.

Lygdame^ nil potui : tecum ego captus eram. 70
supplicibus palmis tum demum ad foedera veni^^

cum vix tangendos praebuit illa pedes^

^ fulcra Beroaldui : f usca NFL. 2 veni 5" : venit NFL.

318

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTI[JS BOOK IV

it. And as for me^ while I sought for sixes from the
favouring dice^ ever the ruinous aces leapt to light.
They sang to me^ but I was deaf. They bared their
bosoms^ but I was blind. Alas ! I stood alone at
Lanuvium's gates.

^^ And lo ! of a sudden the door-posts groaned harsh
with turning hinge^ and a light sound was heard at
the entrance of the house. Straightway Cynthia
hurled back the folding portals^ Cynthia with hair
disordered^ yet lovely in her fury. My fingers loosed
their grasp and dropped the cup ; my lips turned
pale though drunken with wine. Her eyes flashed
fire : she raged with all a woman's fury. The sight
was fearful as a city's sack, She dashed her angry
nails in Phyllis' face : Teia calls out in terror on all
the watery neighbourhood. The brandished lights
awakened the slumbering citizens^ and all the street
rang loud with the madness of the night. The girls
fled with dishevelled raiment and tresses torn^ and
the first tavern in the street received them.

^^ Cynthia rejoiced in her spoils and hastened back
to me victorious^ and bruised my face with cruel hands^
and marked my neck with her teeth^ till her bite
drew blood^ and above all smote mine eyes that had
deserved her blows. Then when her arms were tired
with beating me she routed forth Lygdamus, who
lay hid on our left crouched beneath the couch's
head at its very feet. Dragged forth to light,
he implored protection from my guardian spirit.
Lygdamus^ I was powerless ; I was thy fellow-
captive.

'^i At last I yielded to her terms^ my hands out-
stretched in suppliant wise ; but scarce would she let
me 30 much as touch her feet, and said : ^^ If thou

319

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

atque ait " Admissae si vis me ignoscere culpae^

accipe^ quae nostrae formula legis erit.
tu neque Pompeia spatiabere cultus in umbra^

nec cum lascivum sternet harena Forum.
colla cave inflectas ad summum obliqua theatrum,

aut lectica tuae se det ^ aperta morae.
Lygdamus in primis^ omnis mihi causa querelae^

veneat et pedibus vincula bina trahat.*' 80

indixit legem : respondi ego ^^ Legibus utar."

riserat imperio facta superba dato.
dein quemcumque locum externae tetigere puellae^

suffiit^^ ac pura Hmina tergit aqua,
imperat et totas iterum mutare lacernas^

terque meum tetigit sulpuris igne caput.
atque ita mutato per singula pallia lecto

respondi^ et noto ^ solvimus arma toro.

IX

Amphitryoniades qua tempestate iuvencos

egerat a stabulis^ o Erythea^ tuis^
venit ad invictos pecorosa Palatia montes^

et statuit fessos fessus et ipse boves^
qua Velabra suo stagnabant flumine quaque *

nauta per urbanas velificabat aquas.

^ se det Gruter : sudet NFL.
. 2 suffiit Beroaldus, ac Baehrens : sufficat NFL,

3 respondi NFZ, perhaps corrupt : escendi Postgate. noto
Heinsius: toto NFL. ^ quaque r : q uoque iV^i^Z.

320

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

wouldst have me pardon the sin thou hast done, hear
the conditions of the law that I impose. Never
shalt thou walk abroad in rich attire in the shade of
Pompey's colonnade^ nor when the sand is strewn in
the wanton Forum.^ Beware that thou bend not
thy neck awry to gaze at the theatre's topmost ring ;
let never a litter yield itself uncurtained to thy
loitering gaze. And above all let Lygdamus^ chief
cause of my complaint^ be sold and trail double
shackles on his feet."

^^ Such were the terms she imposed. I replied :
" I accept the terms." She laughed^ exulting in the
dominion I had given her over me. Then she purified
with fire each place that the foreign girls had touched^
and cleansed the threshold with pure water ; she bade
ine change all my raiment anew^ and thrice touched
my head with burning sulphur. Then when every
coveringof the bed had been changed^ I bowed to her
will and we made up our quarrel on the couch we
knew so well.

IX

What time Amphitryon's son drove the oxen from
thy stalls^ O Erythea^ he came to that hill untamed
by man^ the sheep-grazed Palatine^ and there^
himself aweary, halted his weary kine, where the
Velabrum spread its stagnant stream and the mariner
sailed over waters in the city's midst. But the kine

1 /.c, for gladiatorial shows, which were sometimes given
iii the Forum.

321

SEXTl PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

sed non infido manserunt hospite Caco

incolumes : furto polluit ille lovem.
incola Cacus erat^ metuendo raptor ab antro^

per tria partitos qui dabat ora sonos. 10

hic, ne certa forent manifestae signa rapinae^

aversos cauda traxit in antra boves^
nec sine teste deo : furem sonuere iuvenci^

furis et implacidas diruit ira fores.
MaenaHo iacuit pulsus tria tempora ramo

Cacus^ et Alcides sic ait : '' Ite boves^
Herculis ite boves^ nostrae labor ultime clavae,

bis mihi quaesitae^ bis mea praeda^ boves^
arvaque mugitu sancite Bovaria longo :

nobile erit Romae pascua vestra Forum." 20

dixerat^ et sicco torquet sitis ora palato^,

terraque non ullas ^ feta ministrat aquas.
sed procul inclusas audit ridere puellas^

lucus ubi ^ umbroso fecerat orbe nemus^
femineae loca clausa deae fontesque piandos^

impune et nullis sacra retecta viris.
devia puniceae velabant Umina vittae^

putris odorato hixerat igne casa^
popuhis et longis ornabat frondibus aedem^

multaque cantantes umbra tegebat aves. SO

huc ruit in siccam congesta pulvere barbam^

et iacit ante fores verba minora deo :
^' Vos precor^ o hici sacro quae luditis antro^

pandite^defessis hospita fana ^ viris.

1 ullas ^ ; iiullas NFL. ^ ubi Heinslus : ab NFL.

^3 fana Scallger : vana NFIj,

322

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

remained not safe^ since Cacus proved a disloyal host^
and outraged Jove with theft. Cacus was a dweller
in the place^ a robber issuing from his dreaded cave,
who spake with threefold utterance from three
several mouths. He, that there might be no sure
token to betray his theft^ dragged the cattle tail fore-
most to his cave. But the god beheld him : the
lowing steers revealed the thief, and wrath beat
down the thieFs cruel ^ doors.

^^ Cacus iay low^ thrice smitten on the brow with
the Maenalian club^ and thus spake Alcides : ^^ Go^
ye oxen^ go^ oxen of Hercules^ the last labour of my
club. Twice, oxen^ did I seek je, and twice ye were
my prey. Go ye and with your long-drawn lowing
hallow the Place of Oxen ; your pasture shall in times
to come be the far-famed Forum of Rome." He
spake, and thirst tortured his parched palate^ while
teeming earth supplied no water.

^^ But far off he heard the laughter of cloistered
maids^ where a sacred grove made a dark encircling
wood^ the secret place of the Goddess of Women^^
with holy fountains and rites ne'er revealed to men
save to their cost. Wreaths of purple veiled its
portals far-withdrawn and a ruinous hovel shone
with sweet fire of incense. A poplar decked the
shrine with its long leaves^ and its deep foliage
shielded singing birds.

^^ Hither he rushed, the dust thick-clotted on his
parched beard, and before the portal spake wild
words unworthy of a god. ^^ Ye, that make merry in
the sacred dells of the grove^ I pray you^ open your
hospitable shrine to a weary man. Athirst for water

1 Probably because they were decorated with trophies of
human bones, &c. Cp, Ovid, Fastif l. 557 ; Vergil, Aeneid,
VIII. 196. 2 The Bona Dea.

323

SEXTI PROPERTl ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

fontis egens erro circaque sonantia lympliis^

et cava suscepto flumine palma sat est.
audistisne aliquem^ tergo qui sustulit orbem ?

ille ego sum : Alciden terra recepta vocat.
quis facta Herculeae non audit fortia clavae

et numquam ad nocuas ^ irrita tela feras^ 40

atque uni Stygias homini luxisse tenebras ?

accipite : haec ^ fesso vix mihi terra patet.
quodsi lunoni sacrum faceretis amarae^

non clausisset aquas ipsa noverca suas.
sin aliquem vultusque meus saetaeque leonis

terrent et Libyco sole perusta coma^
idem ego Sidonia feci serviUa palla

officia et Lydo pensa diurna colo^
mollis et hirsutum cepit mihi fascia pectus,

et manibus duris apta puella fui." 50

talibus Alcides ; at tahbus alma sacerdos^

puniceo canas stamine vincta comas :
'^ Parce ocuUs^ hospes^ lucoque abscede verendo

cede agedum et tuta hmina Unque fuga.
interdicta viris metuenda lege piatur^

quae se summota vindicat ara casa.
magno ^ Tiresias aspexit Pallada vates,

fortia dum posita Gorgone membra lavat.
di tibi dent aUos fontes : haec lympha puelUs

avia secreti limitis una fluit." 60

1 nociias Santen : vatas N : natas FL.

2 accipite 5" : accipit NFL. haec /.• et N: hic FL. The
whole line is perhaps interpolated : compare ^.66,

3 magno Passerat : magnam NFL.

824

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

I wander^ while all the place is loud with the sound
of streams. Enough for me were a draught of the
running brook caught in the hollow of my hand.
Have ye heard of one that bore the globe on his
back } I am he ; the world I carried calls me
Alcides. Who has not heard of the mighty deeds of
Hercules' club^ and of those shafts that ne'er were
spent in vain on ravening beasts ? Who has not
heard how for me alone of mortals the darkness of
Hell ^ was not dark } Receive me ; this land is all
but closed to me and I am aweary. Nay, though ye
were sacrificing to Juno^ that is my bane, even my
stepdame had not closed her waters to me. But if
some one of you be frighted by my visage and the
Hon's mane and my locks burnt by the Libyan sun^
I also have performed servile tasks^ clad in Sidonian
cloak, and wrought the day's tale of wool with Lydiar^
distaff. My shaggy breast was girt by the soft breast-
band^ and though my hands were horny I proved a
nimble girl."

^^ So spake Alcides ; but thus repUed the kindly
priestess^ her white hair bound in a purple band :
^^ Forbear to gaze^ O stranger^ and leave this dreaded
grove. Come^ leave it^ depart from its threshold
and seek safety in flight. The altar that guards its
sanctity in this secret hut is forbidden to men^ and
dire is the doom that avenges its pollution. At great
cost did the seer Tiresias behold Pallas^ while she
bathed her mighty Umbs^ the Gorgon breastplate laid
aside. The gods give thee other fountains ! This
one stream flows for maidens only in secret channel
far from the paths of men." So spake the aged

1 He broke into Hades to rescue Theseus and carried off
Cerberus,

325

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

sic anus : ille umeris postes concussit opacos^

nec tulit iratam ianua clausa sitim.
at postquam exhausto iam flumine vicerat aestum^

ponit vix siccis tristia iura labris :
" Angulus hic mundi nunc me mea fata trahentem

accipit : haec fesso vix mihi terra patet.
Maxima quae gregibus devota est Ara repertis^

ara per has " inquit '^^ maxima facta manus^
haec nullis umquam pateat veneranda puellis^

Herculis aeternum ne sit ^ inulta sitis." 70

Sancte pater salve^ cui iam favet aspera luno :

Sancte^ velis libro dexter inesse meo.
hunc^ quoniam manibus purgatum sanxerat orbem^

sic Sanctum Tatiae composuere Cures.

X

NvNc lovis incipiam causas aperire Feretri

armaque de ducibus trina recepta tribus.
magnum iter ascendo^ sed dat mihi gloria vires :

non iuvat e facili lecta corona iugo.
imbuis exemplum primae tu^ Romule^ palmae

huius^ et exuvio plenus ab hoste redis^
tempore quo portas Caeninum Acronta petentem

victor in eversum cuspide fundis equum.
Acron Herculeus Caenina ductor ab arce^

Roma^ tuis quondam finibus horror erat. 10

1 Herculis aeternum Housman : Hercule exterminium NFL.
ne sit 5" : na?cit NFL.

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

dame. He with his shoulders shattered the door-
posts that barred his sight^ nor could the closed gate
endure the fury of his thirst.

^^ But after he had quenched his burning and
drained the stream to naught^ with Hps scarce dry
he pronounced this stern decree : ^' This corner of the
world hath now received me as I drag out my doom :
weary though I be this land is all but closed to me.
May that Mightiest of Altars dedicated for the finding
of my flocks, this altar made Mightiest by mine hands,
never be open to women's worship^ that the thirst of
Hercules be avenged to all eternity."

^i Hail^ Holy Sire^ on whom now cruel Juno smiles.
Holy one^ I pray thee to take thy place in my book
with blessing. This hero of old, for that he had
cleansed the world with his hands and made it holy^
Tatian Cures estabHshed in his temple as the Holy
one.

X

Now will l begin to show forth the origins of Fere-
trian Jupiter and to tell of the triple spoils of armour ^
won from three several chiefs. Great are the heights
I must scale^ but glory lends me strength ; crowns
plucked from easy summits please me not.

^ Thou, Romulus^ first didst win this prize and camest
home laden with the spoil of thy foe^ what time thou
didst vanquish Caeninian Acron, as he sought the
gates of Rome^ and with thy spear didst hurl him
dead upon his fallen steed. Acron^ the chieftain
from Caenina's citadel^ sprung from the seed of Her-
cules, was once the terror of thy lands^ O Rome.

1 Spoils Avon by a Roman general from a geueral of (he
enemy were known as spolia opima.

327

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

hic spolia ex umeris aiisus sperare Quirini

ipse dedit^ sed non sanguine sicca suo.
hunc videt ante cavas librantem spicula turres

Romukis et votis occupat ante ratis :
'^ luppiter^ haec hodie tibi victima corruet Acron."

voverat^ et spolium corruit ille lovi.
Vrbis virtutumque ^ parens sic vincere suevit^

qui tuUt a parco frigida castra lare.
idem eques et frenis^ idem fuit aptus aratris^

et galea hirsuta compta lupina iuba ; 20

picta neque inducto fulgebat parma pyropo :

praebebant caesi baltea lenta boves ;
necdum ultra Tiberim belli sonus^ ultima praeda 25

Nomentum et captae iugera terna ^ Corae. 26

Cossus at insequitur Veientis caede Tolumni^ 23

vincere cum Veios posse laboris erat^^ 24

heu Vei veteres ! et vos tum regna fuistis^

et vestro posita est aurea sella foro :
nunc intra muros pastoris bucina lenti

cantat^ et in vestris ossibus arva metunt. 30

forte super portae dux Veius astitit arcem

colloquiumque sua fretus ab urbe dedit :
dumque aries murum cornu pulsabat aeno^

vinea qua ductum longa tegebat opus,
Cossus ait '^Forti meUus concurrere campo.''

nec mora fit, plano sistit uterque gradum.

^ virtutumque ^ : virtutemque FL : virtutis N,

2 terna ^ : terra NFL.

3 25^ 26 and 23, 24 transposed hy PasseraU _

328

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

He dared to hope for spoil from Quirinus' shoulders,
but himself gave up his own^ spoil dripping with his
own Ufe-blood. Him Romulus espied^ as he poised
his javehn against the hollow towers^ and forestalled
him with a vow that heaven approved : " Jupiter^
behold thy victim ; to-day shall Acron iall in thine
lionour/' The vow was made^ and Acron fell to be
the spoil of Jupiter. Thus was he wont to conquer^
the father of Rome and the Virtues^ who from homes
of thrift led forth an unluxurious host. The knight
was ready aHke to guide the war-horse or the plough ;
his helm was of wolf-skin decked witii shaggy phime^
his shield shone not with gaudy inlay of golden
bronze^ and his tough belt was but the hide of
slaughtered kine. Not yet was the sound of war
heard beyond Tibers bank^ and Nomentum and the
three acres of captured Cora were Rome's furthest
prey.

^^ Cossus comes next with the slaughter of Tolum-
nius^ Veii's lord^ in the days when even to have power
for Veii's conquest was a mighty task. Alas ! Veii,
thou ancient city^ thou too wert then a kingdom and
the throne of gold was set in thy market-place : now^
within thy walls is heard the horn of the idle shep-
herd^ and they reap the cornfields amid thy people's
bones. It clianced that Veii's chief stood on the
tower above the gate and parleyed without fear from
his own city : and while the ram shook the walls
with brazen horn, where the long mantlet shielded
the siege-works' Une;, Cossus cried : ^"^'Twere better
for the brave to meet in open field." No tarrying
then, but both stood forth on the level plain. The

329

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

di Latias iuvere manus^ desecta Tolumni

cenix Romanos sanguine lavit equos.
Claudivis a Rhodano ^ traiectos arcuit hostes^

Belgica cum vasti parma relata ducis 40

Virdomari. genus hic Rheno iactabat ab ipso^

mobihs e rectis ^ fundere gaesa rotis.
illi virgatis iaculantis ab ^ agmine bracis

torquis ab incisa decidit unca gula.
nunc spoha in templo tria condita : causa Feretri,

omine quod certo dux ferit ense ducem ;
seu quia victa suis umeris haec arma ferebant,

hinc Feretri dicta est ara superba lovis.

XI

Desine^ Paulle^ meum lacrimis urgere sepulcrum :

panditur ad nullas ianua nigra preces ;
cum semel infernas intrarunt funera leges^

non exorato stant adamante viae.
te licet orantem fuscae deus audiat aulae :

nempe tuas lacrimas htora surda bibent.
vota movent superos : ubi portitor aera recepit^

obserat umbrosos lurida porta locos.*
sic maestae cecinere tubae^ cum subdita nostrum

detraheret lecto fax inimica caput. 10

1 a Rhodano Postgate : sl Rheno NFL.
- e rectis Passerat : erecti N: effecti FL.

3 ut . . . iaculans it Postgate : iaculantis NFL.

4 umbrosos r ; herbosos NIj : erbosos F, locos Markland:
rogos NFL.

330

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

gods aided the Latin's hands^ and Tolumnius' severed
neck bathed Roman steeds with blood.

^^ Claudius beat back the foe that had crossed
from the banks of Rhone^ when the Belgic shield
of the giant chief Virdomarus was brought back to
Rome. He boasted to be sprung from Rhine him-
self, and nimble was he to hurl the Gallic spear from
unswerving chariot. Even as in striped breeches he
went forth before his host^ the bent torque fell from
his severed throat.

^^ These triple spoils are stored in the temple.
Hence comes Feretrius' name^ because with heaven's
sure favour chief smote^ chief with the sword : or else
the proud altar of Feretrian Jupiter hath won its name
because the victor bore ^ the armour of the vanquished
on his shoulders.

XI

Cease_, PaulluSj to burden my grave with tears : no
prayers may open the gate of darkness ; when once
the dead have passed beneath the rule of Hell the
ways are barred with inexorable adamant. Though
thine entreaty reach the ears of the god that reigns
in the house of gloom_, the shores of Styx shall drink
thy tears unmoved. Heaven only is won by sup-
plication : when the ferryman has received his toU^
the pale portal closes on the world of shadows. Such
was the burden of the trumpets' strain^ when the
loathed torch was placed beneath my pyre and the
flames engulfed my head.

^ The pun onferire, fero, and Feretrius is untranslatable.

331

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

quid mihi coniugium Paulii^ quid currus avorum

profuit aut famae pignora tanta meae ?
non minus immites habuit Cornelia Parcas :

et sum> quod digitis quinque legatur^ onus.
damnatae noctes et vos vada lenta paludes^

et quaecumque meos implicat unda pedes,
immatura licet^ tamen huc non noxia veni :

det pater hic umbrae mollia iura meae.
aut si quis posita iudex sedet Aeacus urna,

in mea sortita vindicet ossa pila : 20

assideant fratres, iuxta et Minoida sellam ^

Eumenidum intento turba severa foro.
Sisyphe^ mole vaces ; taceant Ixionis orbes ;

fallax Tantaleo corripere ^ ore liquor ;
Cerberus et nullas hodie petat improbus
umbras ;

et iaceat tacita laxa catena sera.
ipsa loquor pro me : si fallo^ poena sororum

infelix umeros urgeat urna meos.
si cui fama fuit per avita tropaea decori^

nostra Numantinos signa ^ loquuntur avos : 30

altera maternos exaequat turba Libones^

et domus est titulis utraque fulta suis.
mox^ ubi iam facibus cessit praetexta maritis,

vinxit et acceptas altera vitta comas,

1 iuxta et Itali : iuxta FL. Minoida r : Minoia FL, sellam
^ : sella et /iu : sella FL.

2 corripere ore Au^^atus : corripiare FL.

3 nostra . . . sigua Baehrens : et . . . regna Z .* aera . . .
regna /iu ; omitted by F.

SS2

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

^^ What availed me the wedded love of Paullus ?
what the triumphal chariot of mine ancestors^ or
those that live to bear witness to their mother's
glory ? Cornelia found not therefore the Fates less
cruel^ and lo ! I am now but one little handful of
dust. Dark night of doom^ and ye, O shallow^
stagnant meres^ and every stream that winds about
my feet, guiltless^ though untimely^ am I come
hither^ and may Father Dis deal gentle judgment
to my soul. Else^ if there be an Aeacus who sits in
judgment with the urn at his side^ let him punish
my shade when the lot bearing my name is drawn.
Let the two brothers ^ sit by him^ and near the seat of
Minos let the stern band of Furies stand^ while all
the court is hushed to hear my doom. Sisyphus^ be
thou freed awhile from thy huge stone ! Hushed
be Ixion's wheel ! And thou^ baffling water^ be thou
caught by the hps of Tantahis ! To-day let cruel
Cerberus attack no shade^ let his chain hang slack
from its silent bar ! Myself I plead my cause. If 1
plead falsely, let the woeful urn that is the Danaid
sisters' doom bow down my shoulders !

^^ If ancestral trophies have e^er won glory for any^
why^ then^ the statues of my house tell of Numantine ^
ancestry^ while yonder is gathered a not less glorious
band^ the Libones of my mother's line : on either
side my house is pillared with glory. Such was my
birth ; thereafter when the maid's robe of purple
was laid aside before the torch of marriage^ and a
new wreath caught up and bound my hair^ I was

1 Minos and Rhadamanthus.

2 Scipio Africanus.

33S

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

iuiigor^ Paulle^ tuo sic discessura cubili :

in lapide hoc uni nupta fuisse legar.

testor maiorum cineres tibi^ Roma^ verendos^

sub quorum titulis^ x\frica^ tunsa iaces^

- 1

et Persen proavo stimulantem pectus Achille^

quique tuas proavo fregit, Averne,^ domos, 40

me neque censurae legem mollisse neque ulla

labe mea nostros erubuisse focos.
non fuit exuviis tantis Cornelia damnum :

quin et erat magnae pars imitanda domus.
nec mea mutata est aetas^, sine crimine tota
est :

viximus insignes inter utramque facem.
mi natura dedit leges a sanguine ductas^

ne possem melior iudicis esse metu.
quaelibet austeras de me ferat urna tabellas :

turpior assessu ^ non erit ulla meo^ 50

vel tu^ quae tardam movisti fune Cybellen^

Claudia^ turritae rara ministra deae^
vel cui^ iuratos ^ cum Vesta reposceret ignes^

exhibuit vivos carbasus alba focos.
nec te^ dulce caput^ mater Scribonia^ laesi :

in me mutatum quid nisi fata velis }

^ Munro pointed out th<tt at lcast a couplet micst be lost here :
he suggested, e.g., et qui contuderunt animos pugnacis Hiberi, |
Hannibalemque armis Antiochumque suis.

2 Averne Munro : Achille FL.

3 assessu 5~ : assensu FL.

4 cui iuratos Butler : cnius rasos FIj,

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

wedded to thy couch^ my Paullus^ doomedj alas ! to
leave it thus. Behold the legend on this stone : ^^ To
one and one alone was she espoused." I call to
witness the ashes of my sires^ revered^ O Rome^ by
thee ; beneath their glory's record thou^ Africa, liest
beaten to the dust. ... [7 call the chiefs of Carthage
and the East] and Perseus^ whose soul was spurred by
the thought that he came of Achilles' line and of his ^
that shattered thy halls^ Avernus^ to witness that the
censor^s ^ ordinance was ne'er relaxed for me and that
my hearth ne'er blushed for sin of mine. Cornelia ne'er
dimmed the lustre of such spoils of war ; nay^ even in
that great house she w^as a pattern to be followed.

^^ My life was changeless ; through all its days it
knew no slander : 'twixt torch of marriage and torch
of death ours was a life of high renown. The laws I
followed sprang from pride of blood : 'twas nature gave
me them^ that no fear of judgment might lead me
toward virtue. I care not who the judges be that pass
stern sentence on me ; no woman shall be shamed by
sitting at my side, not thou^ Claudia^ the peerless ser-
vant of the tower-crowned goddess^ that didst lay hold
of the cable and move CybeIIe's lagging image^ nor
thou ^ whose white linen robe showed that the hearth
still lived^ when Vesta demanded the fire thou hadst
sworn to keep. Nor yet in aught have I wronged
thee^ sweet mother mine^ Scribonia : what wouldst
thou have me change save only my doom ? My

1 Hercules. See p. 825, note.

2 Paullus was ceusor in 22 B.c.

3 Aemilia, a Vestal virgin, was accused of having allowed
the sacred lire of Vesta to be extinguished. She vindicated
herself by placing a portion of her dress upon the hearth, and
the fire straightway blazed up. iuratos lit. ="by which she
had sworn.** She swore by the sacred fire that she would keep
it alight.

SS5

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV
maternis laudor lacrimis urbisque querelis^

defensa et gemitu Caesaris ossa mea.
ille sua nata dignam vixisse sororem

, increpat^ et lacrimas vidimus ire deo. 60

et tamen emerui generosos vestis honores^

nec mea de sterili facta rapina domo.
tu^ Lepide^ et tu^ Paulle^ meum post fata levamen ;

condita sunt vestro lumina nostra sinu.
vidimus et fratrem sellam geminasse curulem ;

consule quo^ festo ^ tempore rapta soror.
filia^ tu specimen ^ censurae nata paternae^

fac teneas unum nos imitata virum.
et serie fulcite genus : mihi cumba volenti

solvitur aucturis tot mea facta meis.^ 70

haec est feminei merces extrema triumphi^

laudat ubi emeritum Ubera fama rogum.
nunc tibi commendo communia pignora natos :

haec cura et cineri spirat inusta meo.
fungere maternis vicibus^ pater : illa meorum

omnis erit collo turba ferenda tuo.
oscula cum dederis tua flentibus^ adice matris :

tota domus coepit nunc onus esse tuum.
et si quid doUturus eris_, sine testibus ilHs !

cum venient^ siccis oscula falle genis ! 80

^ f esto Koppiers : facto FL.

2 specimen 5~ : speciem FL.

3 aucturis S" : uucturis L : nupturis F. facta $" : fata FL.
meis Pauliider : malis FL.

336

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

mother's tears and tlie laments of Rome give glory
to my name and mine aslies are championed by the
grief of Caesar. Moaning he cries that in me his
daughter ^ had a worthy sister^ and we saw that even
a god may w^eep.

^^ Yet well did I merit the robe of honour^^ nor
childless was the household whence I was snatched
away. Thou_, Lepidus^ and thou^ Paulhis^ are my
comfort even in death ; in your bosom were mine
eyehds closed. My brother also I saw twice throned
in the curule chair^ and 'twas in the very hour of
rejoicing^ when they chose him consul^^ that I his
sister was rapt away. And thou^ my daughter^ born
to be the mirror of thy father's censorship^ see thou
follow mine example and wed one and one only.
My children^ get you children also to be pillars of
the house : I grudge not now to put forth in the
boat of deatJi^ since so many of my blood shall
add fresh lustre to my deeds. This is the supreme
honour of a woman's triumph^ that outspoken rumour
should praise her dead ashes.

'^^ And now to thee/ PauIIus^ I commend our
children^ the common pledges of our love : this
care yet lives deep-burned even into mine ashes.
Father^ 'tis thine to fill tlie mother's room ; thy
neck alone must bear all my children's throng.
When thou dost kiss their tears away^ add thereto
their mother's kisses ; henceforth the whole house
must be thy burden. And if thou must weep at
all^ weep when they are not by ; when they come to
thee^ cheat their kisses with tearless eye. Enough

1 lulia, Augustus' daughter, was half-sister to Cornelia.

2 The stola of honour awarded to the wife that had borne
three children.

3 P. Cornelius Scipio, consul 16 B.c.

Y 337

SEXTI PROPERTI ELEGIARVM LIBER IV

sat tibi sint noctes^ quas de me_, Paulle^ fatiges,

somniaque in faciem credita saepe meam :
atque ubi secreto nostra ad simulacra loqueris^

ut responsurae singula verba iace.
seu tamen adversum mutarit ianua lectum^

sederit et nostro cauta noverca toro^
coniugium^ pueri^ laudate et ferte paternum :

capta dabit vestris moribus illa manus.
nec matrem laudate nimis : collata priori

vertet in offensas libera verba suas. 90

seu memor ille mea contentus manserit umbra

et tanti cineres duxerit esse meos^
discite venturam iam nunc sentire senectam^

caelibis ad curas nec vacet ulla via.
quod mihi detractum est^ vestros accedat ad annos :

prole mea Paullum sic iuvet esse senem.
et bene habet : numquam mater lugubria sumpsi ; ^

venit in exsequias tota caterva meas.
causa perorata est. flentes me surgite, testes_,

dum pretium vitae grata rependit humus. 1 00

moribus et caelum patuit : sim digna merendo^

cuius honoratis ossa vehantur avis.^

1 Inguhria sumpsi T: lubrigia sumptum N: lubrica sump-
tum FL,

2 avis Heinsius : aquis NFL.

338

THE ELEGIES OF PROPERTIUS BOOK IV

for thee^ Paullus^ be the nights thou wearest out
with memories of me^ enough the clreams wherein
so oft thou thinkest to see my very self : and when
in secret thou shalt speak unto mine image, breathe
every word as though to one that should reply.

^^ Yet if another couch ^ shall front the portals of
our hall^ and a wary stepdame usurp my bed^ my
sons^ praise and endure your father's spouse ; your
virtues shall win her heart to yield. Nor praise
your mother overmuch : she will be angered if in
unguarded speech ye compare her with her that was.
Or if he forget me not^ if my shade sufficeth him
and he still doth prize mine ashes^ learn even now to
note how oid age steals upon him^ and leave no path
for grief to assail his widowed heart. May the years
that were snatched from me be added to your years ;
thus may my children's presence sweeten old age
for Paullus. Aye^ and 'tis well : ne'er did I don a
mother's mourning weeds ; all^ all my children came
to my graveside.

99 jviy pleading is accomplished ; rise^ ye my wit-
nesses that weep my loss^ and wait Earth's kindly
sentence that shall give the reward my Hfe hath
earned. Even heaven hath unbarred its gates to
virtue ; may my merit win its guerdon and mine ashes
be borne to dwell with my glorious ancestors.

1 The lectus genialis, dedicated to the genii of the married
pair, was placed iu the atrium facing the door.

SS9

INDEX

AcANTHis, IV. V. 63. A procuress

wlio iustructs Cynthia in tlie " art

of love."
Achaea, II. xxviii. 53.
Acliaemeuius, II. xiii. 1. = Fer-

sian.
Achelous, II. XXXIV. 33. A river

of Aetolia which coutended with

Hercules for the love of Deiauira.
Acheron, III. v. 13.
Achilles, lE. i. 37, Iii. 39, viii. 29,

IX. 9, 13, XXII. 29; III. xviii.

27 ; IV. XI. 39.
Achivus, II. viit. 31 ; III. xviii. 29.
Acrou, IV. X. 7, 9, 15. King- of

Caeuina.
Actiacus, II. XV. 44. Actius, II. i.

34, XVI. 38, XXXIV. 61 ; IV. vi.

17, 67. Adj. from Actium, a bay

on the coast of Epirus, the scene

of Augustus' final victory over

Autonius.
Admetus, II. vi. 23. Husband of

Alcestis, who died to prolong- his

life.
Adonis, II. xiii. 53.
Adrastus, II. xxxiv. 37. Leader

of the Seven against Tliebes.
Adryas, I. xx. 12. = Dryas.
Aeacus, II. xx. 30; III. iv. 20;

IV. XI. 19. A judge amoug' the

dead.
Aeaeus, II. xxxii. 4 ; III. xii. 31.

Adj. from Aeaea, the island of

Circe, or of Calypso.
Aegaeus, I. vi. 2 ; III. vii. 57,

XXIV. 12.
Aegyptus, II. i. 31, xxxiii. 15.

Z

Aelia Galla, IIX. xii. 1, 4, 15, 19,

22, 38. A Romau lady, wife

of rostumus, perhaps sister of

Aelius Gallus, Prefect of Egypt.
Aemilius, III. iii. 8. A refereuce

to Aemilius Paulus, who defeated

Demetrius of Pherae in 219 b.c.
Aeneas, II. xxxiv. 63; III. iv. 20.
Aeoiius, II. iii. 19. A reference
' to the Aeolic school of lyric

poets, of whom Sappho was pre-

emiuent.
Aeschyleus, II. xxxiv. 41.
Aesouides, I. xv. 17. Aesonius, III.

XI. 12. Jason, the son of Aeson.
Agamemnon, IV. vi. 33.
Agamemuonius, III. vii. 21 ; IV. i.

111.
Aganippeus, II. iii. 20. Aganippe,

the fouutain of the Muses on

Mount llelicon.
Alba, III. III. 3 ; IV. i. 35, vi. 37.
Albanus, III. xxii. 25. The Alban

Lake.
Alcides, I. xx. 49 ; II. xxiv. 34 ;

IV. IX. 16, 38, 51. Hercules.
Alcinous, I. XIV. 24. King- of

Phaeacia; gave ricli gifts to

Ulysses.
Alcmaeouius, III. v. 41. Alcmaeon

slew his motlier, Eriphyla, and

was pursued by Furies.
Alcmeue, II. xxii. 25. Mother of

Hercules.
Ales (Amor), II. xxx. 31.
Alexaudria, III. xi. 33.
Alexis, II. xxxiv. 73. A Vergilian

shepherd.

341

INDEX

Alphesiboea, I. xv. 16. Wife of
Alcmaeon. Alcmaeon left her
for Callirrhoe, biit on returning-
home to Arcadia was killed by
Alphesiboea. She aveng^ed her
faithless hiisband by killing- her
brothers.

Amazonis, III. xiv. 13.

Amor, I. I. 4, 17, 34, ii. 8, iii. 14,

V. 24, VII. 20, 26, IX. 12, 23, 28,
X. 20, XII. 16, XIV. 8, 15, XVII.
27, XIX. 22 ; II. II. 2, iii. 24,

VI. 22, VIII. 40, X. 26, XII. 1,
XIII. 2, XXIX. 18, XXX. 2, 7, 24,
XXXIII. 42, XXXIV. 1 ; III. I. 11,
V. 1, XVI. 16, XX. 17, XXIII. 16.

Ampliiaraus, III. xiii. 58. Amphi-
areus (adj.), II. xxxiv. 39. Am-
phiaraus, one of the Seven against
Thebes, was swallowed up with
liis cliariot in a chasm.

Amphion, III. xv. 29, 42. Ampliio-
uiiis, I. X. 10. Son of Antiopa.
Witli his lyre he caused stones
to gather themselves together
and form tlie walls of Thebes.

Amphitryoniades, IV. ix. 1. Her-
cules.

Amycle, IV. v. 35. A slave of
Cynthia.

Amymone, II. xxvi. 47. Daughter
of Danaus ; yielded lierself to
Poseidou, on condition of his
causing a spring to burst fortli iu
time of drougiit.

Amythaonius, II. iii. 54. Amy-
thaon, f ather of Melampus (q.r.).

Androgeon, II. i. 62. Son of
Minos, killed iu Attica, and, ac-
cording to Propertius, restored
to life by Asclepius, tlie god of
healing, whose chief temple was
at Epidaurus.

Andromaclia, II. xx. 2, xxii. 31.

Andromede, I. iii. 4 ; II. xxviii.
21 ; III. XXII. 29 ; IV. Vii. 63.

Anienus, I. xx. 8 ; III. xvi. 4 ; IV.

VII. 86 ; Anio, III. xxii. 23 ;

342

IV. vii. 81. The river on which

Tibur stands.
Antaeus, III. xxii. 10. A Libyan

giant slain by Hercules.
Antigone, II. viii. 21.
Antilochus, II, xiii. 49. The son

of Nestor, killed during the siege

of Troy.
Antimaclius, II. xxxiv. 45. A poet

of Coloplion ; wrote an epic on the

Seven against Tliebes and love

elegies in memory of his mistress

Lyde.
Autinous, IV. v. 8. The leader of

Penelope's suitors.
Antiope, I. iv. 5 ; III. xv. 12, 19,

22, 39. Daughter of Nycteus and

wife of Lycus, King of Tliebes.

Lycus put her awayand married

Dirce. Dirce tormented Antiope,

wlio took refuge on tlie moun-

tains with Amphion and Zetlius,

sons whom she in earlier years

had borne to Jupiter.
Antonius (M.), III. ix. 56.
Anubis, III. xi. 41. A dog-lieaded

god of Egypt.
Aonius, I. II. 28 ; III. iii. 42.

Aonia was a district of Boeotia

round Mouiit Helicon.
Apelles, III. IX. 11. Apelleus, I.

II. 22. A famous Greek painter,

fourtli century b.c.
Apidanus, I. iii. 6. A river of

Tliessaly.
Apollo, I. VIII. 41 ; IL i. 3 ; III.

II. 9, IX. 39, XI. 69 ; IV. i. 73, 133,

VI. 11, 69.
Appia, Via, 11. xxxii. 6 ; IV. viii.

1 7. The " Great South Road " of

Rome.
Aprilis, IV. v. 35. The Kalends of

April were specially associated

with courtesans, who on tliat day

sacrificed to Venus and Fortuna

virilis.
Aquilo, IL V. 11 ; III. vii. 13, 71.
Aquilonius, I. xx. 25.

INDEX

Ara Maxima, IV. rx. 67. Analtar
situated iu the Forum Boarium.

Arabia, IT. x. 16. Augustus seut
an army under Aelius Gallus to
invade Arabia in 24 b.c. Tlie
expeditiou was a failure.

Arabius, I. xiv. 19 ; II. iii. 15.

Arabs, II. xxix. 17 ; III. xiii. 8.

Aracynthus, III. xv. 42. Part of
tlie Citliaeron range, on the
borders of Attica aud Boeotia.

Araxes, III. xii. 8 ; IV. iii. 35. A
river of Armenia flowing- iiito
the Caspian.

Arcadius, I. i. 14, xviii. 20 ; II.
xxviii. 23. The Arcadian god
is Pau.

Archemorus, II. xxxiv. 38. Infant
son of Euiydice and Lycurgus,
King- of Nemea ; was killed by a
serpent during- tlie absence of
liis nurse HypRipyle, wlio had
g-oue to point out a spriug- to the
Seven against Tliebes. Funeral
games were celebrated in his
honour, from which sprang the
Nemean games.

Archytas, IV. i. 77. The famous
mathematician of Tarentum.
Floruit fourth century b.c.

Arctos, II. XXII. 25.

Arethusa, IV. iii. 1. Pseudonym
of a Roman lady, perliaps Aelia
Galla.

Arganthus, I. xx, 33. A mauntaiu
in Mysia.

Argeus, III. xxii. 13. Adj. from
Argus, the steersman of the Argo.

Argivus, I. XV. 22, xix. 14 ; II.
XXV. 43.

Argus, I. iii. 20. The many-eyed
guardian of lo.

Argus, I. XX. 17; II. xxvi. 39. See
Argeus.

Argynnus, III. vii. 22. A youth
beloved by Agamemnon, and
drowned.

Ariadna, II. iii. 18 ; III. xvii. 8.

Arion, II. xxxiv. 37. The horse
of Adrastus, gifted witli human
speech.

Arionius, II. xxvi. 18. Adj. from
Arion, the musici.in.

Armenius, I. ix. 19.

Arria, IV. i. 89. A friend or kins-
woman of Propertius. Perhaps
the motlier of the Gallus of I.

XX.

Artacius, I. viii. 25. Adj. from

Artacia, a mytliical fouutain in

tlie hind of the Laestrygones.
Ascanius, I. xx. 4, 16. A river in

Mysia.
Ascraeus, II. x. 25, xiii. 4, xxxiv.

77. Ascra, in Boeotia, was the

birthplace of Hesiod.
Asia, I. VI. 14 ; II. iii. 36.
Asis, IV. I. 65, 125. Assisi, or the

hill on wliich Assisi stands.
Asopus, III. XV. 27. A river in

Boeotia.
Atham:in, IV. vi. 15. The Atha-

manes were a people of Epirus.
Athamantis, I. xx. 19 ; III. xxii. 5.

Helle, daughter of Athamas.
Athenae, I. vi. 13 ; III. xxi. 1.
Athis, III. XXII. 7.
Atrida, II. xiv. 1. Atrides, III.

VII. 23 ; XVIII. 30 ; IV. i. 112.

Agamemnon.
Attalicus, II. XIII. 22, xxxii. 12 ;

III. XVIII. 19 ; IV. V. 24. Atta-

lus, King- of Pergamum, was said

to have invented cioth-of-gold.
Atticus, II. XX. 6.
Augustus, II. X. 15 ; III. xi. 50,

XII. 2 ; IV. VI. 22, 29, 38, 81.
Aulis, IV. I. 109.
Aurora, II. xviii. 7 ; III. xiii.

16.
Ausonius, I. xx. 12; II. xxxiii. 4

III. IV. 5, XXII. 30 ; IV. IV. 43.

Italiau.
Auster, II. xvi. 56, xxvi. 86.
Aveutinus, IV. i. 50, viii. 29.
Avernalis, IV. i. 49.

343

INDEX

Avernus, III. xviii. 1 ; IV. xi. 40.

A lake nortli of Naples, reputed
to be the gate of Hades, and of teu
synou3^mous witli Hades.

Babylon, III. XI. 21.

Babylonjus, IV. i. 77.

Baccba, III. xxii. 33.

Bacchus, I. III. 9 ; II. xxx. 38 ; III.

11. 9, XVII. 1, 6, 13, 20 ; IV. I. 62,

VI. 76.
Bactra, III. i. 16, xi. 26; IV. Iii.

7, 63. A town in Persia, the

modern Balkh.
Baiae, I. xi. 1, 27, 30; III. xviii.

2. Baia, a watering-place at the

north of the Bay of Naples.
Bassaricus, III. xvii. 30. Adj.

from Bassareus, a name of

Bacchus.
Bassus, I. IV. 1, 12. A frieud of

Propertius and writer of iambi.
Belgicus, II. xviii. 26 ; IV. x.

40.
Bellerophonteus, III. iii. 2. The

horse of Bellerophon is Pegasus,

a blow from whose hoof called

forth the spring- Hippocrene.
Bistonius, II. xxx. 36. The Bis-

tones were a people of Thrace.
Boebeis, II. ii. 11. A Thessalian

lake.
Boeotius, II. VIII. 21.
Bootes, III. V. 35. The star Arc-

turus.
Boreas, II. xxvi. 51, xxvii. 12.
Borystlienidae, II. vii. 1 8. Dwellers

on the Borysthenes, the modern

Dnieper.
Bosporus, III. XI. 68. The town of

Panticapaeum, in the Crimea,

where Mithridates committed

suicide.
Bovaria, IV. ix. 19. The cattle

niarket at Kome, more commonly

called Boarium.
Bovillae, IV. i. 33. A small town

noar Kome.

344

Brennus, III. xiii. 51. Leader of

the Gauls who attacked Delphi

in 278 B.c.
Brimo, II. ii. 12. Hecate.
Briseis, II. viii. 35, ix. 9, xx. 1,

XXII. 29.
Britannia, IV. iii. 9.
Britannus, II. i. 76, xviii. 23,

xxvii. 5.
Brutus, IV. i. 45.

Cacus, IV. IX. 7, 9, 16. A robber
liviug- on the Aventine, and slain
by Hercules for stealing his
cattle.

Cadmeus, I. vii. 1 ; III. xiii. 7.

Cadmus, III. ix. 38. The founder
of Thebes.

Caeninus, IV. x. 7, 9. Caenina was
a small town in Latium which
went to war with Rome on
account of the rape of the Sabine
women.

Caesar (Augustus), I. xxi. 7 ; II. i.
25, 26, 42, VII. 5, XVI. 41, XXXi. 2,
XXXIV. 62 ; III. IV. 1,13, IX. 27,
33, XI. 66, 72, XVIII. 12 ; IV. i.
46, VI. 13, 56, XI. 58.

Caesar (Julius), III. xviii. 34; IV.
VI. 59.

Calais, I. xx. 26. A winged son of
Boreas.

Calamis, III. IX. 10. A sculptor of
the tif th century b.c, particularly
famous as a sculptor of horses.

Calchas, IV. i. 109. The prophet
of the Greek army who decreed
the sacrifice of Iphigeneia at
Aulis.

Callimachus, II. i. 40, xxxiv. 32 ;
III. I. 1, IX. 43; IV. I. 64.

Calliope, II. i. 3 ; IIL iii. 51 ; IV.
VI. 12. Calliopea, I. ii. 28 ; III.
II. 16, IIT. 38.

Callisto, II. XXVIII. 23. A nymph
of Arcadia transformed into the
constellation of tlie Little Bear.

Calpe, III. XII. 25. Gibraltar.

INDEX

Calvus, II. XXV. 4, XXXIV. 89.

G. Liciuius Calvus, tlie frieucl of

Catullus, a poet of tlie learued

Alexaudriau scliool.
Calypso, I. XV. 9; II. xxi. 13.
Cauibyses, II. xxvi. 23. King- of

Pcrsia, couqueror of Egypt.
Cauieua, III. x. 1.
Camillus, III. ix. 31, xi. 67. The

couqueror of the Gauls after the

sack of Rouae.
Cauapania, III. v. 5.
Cauipus (Martius), II. xvi. 34.
Caucer, IV. i. 150.
Canis, II. xxviii. 4.
Cauueusis, III. iii. 10.
Cauopus, III. XI. 39. A luxurious

towu in Egypt some twelve miles

from Alexandria.

Capaneus, II. xxxiv. 40. Capa-
ueus, oue of the Seveu agaiust
Thebes, boasted that he would
sack Thebes in despite of Jove.
Jovc therefore blasted him with
his thuuderbolt.

Capena (Porta), IV. iii. 71. The
g;ite through which the Via
Appia eutered Kome, the uatural
gate for the eutry of oue who,
lijie Lycotas, had been campaigu-
ing iu the East, and would return
by Bruudisium or Naples.

Caphareus, III. vii. 39. A head-
hiud of Euboea ou which Naup-
lius burned false beacons, thereby
causing tlie Greek fleet returuing
from Troy to be wrecked. He
did this to aveuge the death
of his sou, Palamedes, init to
death ou a false charge by the
Greeks.

Capitolia, IV. iv. 27.

Capricoruus, IV. i. 86.

Carpatliius, II. v. 11 ; III. vii. 12.
The southeru portion of the
Aegeau, Carpathus beiug an
islaud betweeu Crete and Rliodes.

Carthago, II. i. 23.

Cassiope, I. xvii. 3. A port iu the

uorth of Corcyra.
Castalius, III. iii. 13. The Casta-

liau spring was ou Paruassus,

though in this poem the scene is

laid on Helicou.
Castor, I. II. 15 ; II. vii. 16, xxvi.

9 ; III. XIV. 17.
Catullus, II. XXV. 4, xxxiv. 87.
Caucasius, II. i. 69, xxv. 14.
Caucasus, I. xiv. 6.
Cayster, III. xxii. 15. A river of

Asia Minor on which Ephesus is

situated.
Cecropius, II. xx. 6, xxxiii. 29.

Atheuiau ; from Cecrops, an

ancieut King- of Attica.
Centauricus, IV. vi. 49.
Ceutaurus, 11. ii. 10, vi. 17,xxxiii.

31.

Cepheius, I. iii. 3. Cepheus, IV.

VI. 78. Adj. from Cei)heus, the

father of Audromeda.
Cerauuia, I. viii. 19. Cerauuus,II.

XVI. 3. Ceraunia, or Acroce-

raunia, was a dangerous headland

in Epirus.
Cerberus, III. v. 44 ; IV. v. 3, vii.

90, XI. 25.
Chaouius, I. ix. 5. The Chaones

were a tribe of Epirus dwelliug

uearDodona. Here = Dodoneau.
Charybdis, ILxxvi. 54 ; III. xii.28.
Chirou, II. I. 60. A centaur, sou of

Jupiter aud Phillyra.
Chius, III. VII. 49.
Chloris, IV. vii. 72. Mistress of

Propertius af ter Cyuthia's death.
Cicoues, III. XII. 25. A Thracian

tribe defeated by Ulysses {Od.

IX. 40).
Cilissa, IV. vi. 74.
Cimbri, 11. i. 24. A Germanic tribe

defeatod by Marius.
Cinara, IV. i. 99. A frieud or

relative of Propertius.
Circaeus, II. i. 53.
Circe, III. xii. 27.

345

INDEX

Cithaeron, III. ii. 5, xv. 25. A
mountam between Attica and
Boeotia.

Claiidia, IV. xi. 52. Claudia
Quinta, when the mysteries of
Cybele were intcroduced into
Rome (205 b.c), aud the ship
bearino- the image, &c., stuck on
a shoal in the Tiber, pulled it
off single-handed, and thereby
clenred herself of the suspicion
of unchastity.

Claudius (M. Marcellus Maior), III.
xvjii. 33 ; IV. X 39. The con-
queror of Syracuse in the second
Punic war, and ancestor of the
" young Marcellus." ^ee aho
Virdomarus.

Clitumnus, II. xix. 25; IIE. xxii.
23. A river of Umbria.

Clytemestra, III. xix. 19.

Cocles (Horatius), III. xi. 63.

Coeus, III. IX. 48. A giant.

Colchis, II. I. 54, XXI. 11, xxxiv. 8 j
III. xr. 9. Tlie home of Mcdea,
east of the Black Sea.

Colchus, III. XXII. 11.

CoUinus, IV. V. 11. Near the Colline
gMte was the camims sceleratus^
where Vestal virgins unfaith-
ful to their vows were buried
alive.

Conon, IV. i. 78. A Greek astro-
nomer of Samos {flor. 250 b.c).

Cora, IV. X. 26. An anciect town
of the Volsci.

Corinna, II. iii. 21. A fanious
Boeotian poetess, contemporary
with Pindar.

Corintlius, III. v. 6.

Cornelia, IV. xi. 13, 43. The
daugiiter of Cornelius Scipio
and Scribonia, and the wife of
L. Aemilius PauUus.

Corydon, II. xxxiv. 73. A Ver-

gilian sliepherd.
Cossus (Auhis Cornelius Cossus),
IV. X. 23, 35. Consul 428 B.c

S4^Q

Cous, I. II. 2 ; II. I. 5, 6 ; III. i. 1 ;
IV. II. 23, V. 23, 56, 57.

Crassus, II. x. 14 ; III. iv. 9, v.
48 ; IV. VI. 83.

Craugis, IV. iii. 55. A dog, so
called from the Greek Kpavy??,
" baying."

Cressus, II. i. 61 ; IV. vii. 57.
Cressae herbae probably refers
to the miraculous herb called
(lictam7ius.

Cretaeus, III. xix. 11, 26.

Creusa, II. xa^i. 30, xxi. 12.
Daugiiter of Creon, King- of
Corinth. Jason deserted Medea
to marry her. Medea took her
revenge by seuding Creusa a
poisoned robe which cousumed
Creusa and Creon witli fire.

Croesus, IT. xxvi. 23 ; III. v. 17,
xviii. 28.

Cumaeus, II. ii. 16. The Sibyl of
Cumae (north of Bay of Naples)
was reputed to be fabulously old.

Cupido, II. xviii. 21.

Cures, IV. ix. 74. The ancient
capital of the Sabines.

Curetis, IV. iv. 9. Adj. from Cures,
See above.

Curia, IV. i. 11, iv. 13.

Curius, II r. III. 7. The Curiatii
who fougiit against the Horatii.

Curtius, III. XI. 61. Curtius threw
himself into a chasm in tlie
Forum 360 b.c, thereby causing
it to be miraculously closed.

Cybele, Cybelle, III. xvii. 35, xxii.
3; IV. VII. 61, XI. 51.

Cydonium, III. xiii. 27. A quince,
f rom Cydonia, the moderu Canea,
in Crete.

Cymothoe, II. xxvi. 16. A Nereid.

Cynthia, I. i. 1, iii. 8, 22, iv. 8,

19, 25, V. 31, VI. 16, VIII. 8, 30,
42, X. 19, XI. 1, 8, 23, 26, xii. 6,

20, XV. 2, 26, XVII. 5, XVIII. 5, 6,
22, 31, XIX. 1, 15, 21 ; II. V. 1, 4,
28, 30, VI. 40, VII. 1, 19, XIII. 7,

INDEX

67, XVI. 1, 11, XIX. 1, 7, XXTV. 2,

5, XXIX. 24, XXX. 25, XXXII. 3, 8,

XXXIII. 2, XXXIV. 93 ; III. xxi.

9, XXIV. 3, XXV. 6 ; IV. vii. 3,

85, VIII. 15, 51, 53.
Cyntliius, II. xxxiv. 80. Ai^ollo.
Cyreiiaeus, IV. vi. 4. Adj. from

Cyrene, the birthplace of Calli-

machus.
Cytaeine, I. i. 24. Cytaeis, II. iv.

7. A woman of Cyta, in Colchis —

i.e.y Medea.
Cytherea, II. xiv. 25.
Cyzicus, III. XXII. 1. A town on

tlie south coast of the Propontis.

Daedalius, II. XIV. 8. Adj.from
Daedalus, the builder of the
Labyrinth.

Danae, II. xx. 10, 12, xxxii.
59.

Danaus, II. xxxi. 4. The brother
of Aegyptus, father of fifty
daughters who, with the excep-
tion of Hypermnestra, murdered
their husbauds at their father's
command.

Danaus (adj.), II. xxvi. 38 ; III.
VIII. 31, IX. 40, XI. 14, XXII. 34 ;
IV. I. 53, 113.

Daphnis, II. xxxiv. 68. A Ver-
gilian shepherd.

Dardanius, II. xiv. 1. Dardanus, I.
XIX. 14 ; IV. I. 40.

Decius, III. XI. 62 ; IV. i. 45.
Three Decii, father, son, and
grandson, generals of Roman
armies, sacrificed their lives to
win success for their country
(336, 296, 279 B.c. respectively).

Deidaraia, II. ix. 16. Daughter
of Lycomedes, King of Scyros,
beloved of Achilles, to whom she
bore Neoptolemus.

Deiphobus, III. i. 29. A son of
Priam.

Delos, IV. VI. 27. Delos was once
a floating island, but af ter the

birth of Diana and Apollo upon
it it became fixed.
Demophoon, II. xxii. 2, 13. The
pseudonym of a friend of Pro-
pertius, perhaps the poet Tuscus,
who was called Demophoon be-
cause his mistress was called
Phyllis. See below.
Demophoon, II. xxiv. 44. Demo-
phoon, son of Theseus, loved
Phyllis, daughter of Sithon,
King- of Thrace. He deserted
her aud she killed herself.

Demosthenes, III. xxi. 27.

Deucalion, II. xxxii. 53, 54. Deu-
calion and his wife Pyrrha were
the sole survivors of the Greek
" Dehige."

Dia, III. XVII. 27. Naxos.

Diana, II. xix. 17, xxviii. 60 ; IV.
VIII. 29.

Dindymis, III. xxii. 3. Cybele, so
called because she had a f amous
shriiie on Mount Dindymus near
Cyzicus.

Dircaeus, III. xvii. 33. Adj. from
Dirce, a fouutain near Thebes.

Dirce, III. xv. 11, 28, 39. See
Antiope.

Dis, III. XXII. 4.

Dodoua, II. XXI. 3. A place in
Epirus famous for its oracle.

Doricus, II. VIII. 32 ; IV. vi. 34.

Doris, I. xvii. 25. A sea-g-oddess.

Dorozantes, IV. v. 21.

Dorus, III. IX. 44. The " Dorian
poet " is Philetas.

Dryades, I. xx. 45.

Dulichia, II. xiv. 4. An island off
the west coast of Greece, often
treated by Latin poets as the
home of Ulysses.

Dulichius, II. II. 7, xxi. 13 ; III.
V. 17.

Edonis, I. III. 5. A womau of the

Edoni, a Thracian tribe.
Electra, II. xiv. 5,

347

INDEX

Eleus, III. II. 20, IX. 17. Elis, I.
VIII. 36. Olympia was in Elis,
hence the f requent mention of Elis
in connection with (1) racehorses,
(2)Jupiter. ^ee Phidiacus.

Elysius, IV. VII. 60.

Enceladus, II. i. 39. A g-iant.

Eudymion, II. xv. 15.

Enipeus, I. xiii. 21 ; III. xix. 13.
A river of Thessaly. Poseidon
assumed the shape of the river-
god when he ravished Tyro,
daughter of Salmoneus.

Eunius, III. III. 6; IV. i. 61.
The father of Roman poetry ;
flourished in the second century
B.c. His cliief work was the
Annales, an epic poem on the
liistory of Eome.

Eous, I. XV. 7, XVI. 24 ; II. iii. 43,
44, xviii. 8 ; III. XIII. 15, xxiv.
7, 8, III. 10, V. 21, VI. 81.

Epliyreus, II. vi. 1. Adj. from
Ephyra, an ancieut name of
Corinth.

Epicurus, III. XXI. 26.

Epidaurius, II. i. 61. The Epi-
daurian god is Asclepius, wliose
chief temple was at Epidaurus,
in the Peloponnese.

Erechtheus, II. xxxiv. 29. Adj.
from Erechtheus, an ancient
King of Athens. Here = Athe-
nian. The allusion is to
Aeschylus.

Erichthonius, II. vi. 4. Adj. from
Erichthonius, an ancient King of
Athens. Here = Athenian.

Eridanus, I. xii. 4. Tlie Po.

Erinna, II. iii. 22. A Les-
bian poetess contemporary with
Sappho.

Erinys, II. xx. 29.

Eriphyla, II. xvi. 29 ; IIT. xiii.
57. Eripliyla, wife of Ampliia-
raus, was bribed by Polynices
with the gift of a golden neck-
lace to persuade her husband to

348

join the Seven against Thebes.

He consented, tliough he knew he

should never return.
Erycinus, III. xiii. 6. Adj. from

Eryx, a Sicilian town famous

for its shrine of Yenus. The

nautilus was known as concha

Ve7ierea, and is here called

concha Erycina.
Erythea, IV. ix. 2. A mythical

island in tlie far west, the home

of Geryones.
Erythra, II. xiii. 1. A mythical

king of the East.
Esquiliae, III. xxiii. 24 ; IV.

VIII. 1. One of the seven hills

of Rome.
Etruscus, I. XXI. 2, 10, xxii. 6 ; II.

I. 29; III. IX. 1.
Euboicus, II. XXVI. 38 ; IV. 1. 114.
Eumenides, IV. xi. 22.
Enphrates, II. x. 13, xxiii. 21;

III. IV. 4, XI. 25; IV. VI. 84.
Europa, II. iii. 36.
Europe, II. xxviir. 52. Daugliter

of Agenor and sister of Cadmus ;

loved by Jupiter in the form of

a bull.
Eurotas, III. xiv. 17. The river

of Sparta.
Eurus, II. XXVI. 35 ; III. v. 30 ;

XV. 32.
Eurymedon, III. ix. 48. A giant.
Eurypylus, IV. v. 23. A king of

Cos. Eurypyli textura = Coan

silks.
Eurytion, II. xxxiii. 31. A cen-

taur slain at the wedding of

Pirithous.
Evadne, I. xv. 21 ; III. xiii. 24.

Evadne, the wife of Cax^aneus,

flung herself upon her husband's

pyre.
Evander, IV. i. 4. Evander, an

exiled Arcadian king, dwelt on

tlie site of what was afterwards

Eome. See Vergil, Aen. viii.

333.

INDEX

Evenus, I. ii. 18. The father of
Marpessa. See Idas.

Fabius (Q. Maximus), III. iii. 9.

The celebrated general of the

second Punic war, known as

Cunctator (" Delayer ") f rom liis

tactics.
Fahius, IV. i. 26. The Luperci,

priests of Pan, were divided iuto

two colleges, the Fabii and tlie

Quintilii.
Falernus, II. xxxiii. 39 ; IV. vi. 73.

A district in Campania famous

for its wiue.
Fama, II. xxxiv. 94 ; III. i.* 9,

XXII. 2.
Feretrius, IV. x. 1, 45, 48. A title

of Jupiter.
Fidenae, IV. i. 36. A town of

Latium, near Rome.
Forum, IV. i. 184, ii. 6, iv. 12,

VIII. 75, IX. 20.

Gabii, IV. I. 34. A town of

Latium, not far from Kome.
Galaesus, II. xxxiv. 67. A river

near Tarentum.
Galatea, I. viii. 18 ; III. ii. 7.

A sea-goddess.
Galla. See Aelia.
Galli, II. XXXI. 13.
Gallicus, II. XIII. 48. If the read-

ing- be correct here, Gallicus

must meau Phrygian, and be aii

adjective from Galhis, a river

of rhrygia.
Galhis, I. V. 31, X. 5, xiii. 2, 4, 16,

XX. 1, 14, 51. A fricnd of Pro-

pertius, x^erhaps Aelius Gallus,

Prefect of Egypt.
Gallus, I. XXI. 7. A soldier killed

in the Perusine war, Perhaps a

kinsman of Propertius.
Galhis, IV. I. 95. The son of Arria,

killed in battle. Possibly identi-

cal with the foregoing.
Gallus (C. Cornelius), II. xxxiv.

91. The first Prefect of Egypt.

Incurred Augustus' displeasure

through liis arrogance and com-

mitted suicide. He was the first

of Rome's great elegiac poets.

He wrote in lionour of liis mis-

tress Lycoris.
Geryones, III. XXII. 9. Amonster

killed by Hercules, who carried

ofl his oxen.
Geta, IV. III. 9, V. 44. The Getae

were a tribe of Scythia. In the

latter passage the reference is to

the Scythian slaves, who acted

as poUce at Athens.
Gig-antes, III. v. 39.
Giganteus, I. xx. 9. The ora

Gigantea is the Phlegrean plain

immediately iiortli of Naples.
Glaucus, II. XXVI. 13. A sea-god.
Gnosius, I. III. 2 ; II. xii. 10.

Adj. from Gnosus (Cnossus), in

Crete.
Gorgou, II. II. 8, XXV. 13 ; IV. ix.

58.
Gorgoneus, III. iii. 32. Pegasus,

the winged horse of Perseus,

sprang- from the Gorgon's blood.

It was a blow from his hoof

which called forth Hippocrene,

which is therefore called tlie

" Gorgon's spring."
Graecia, II. vi. 2, ix. 17 ; III. vii.

40 ; IV. I. 116.
Graecus, IV. viii. 38.
Graius, II. vi. 19, xxxii. 61, xxxiv.

65 ; III. i. 4, VIII. 29, ix. 41,

XXII. 37.
Gygaeus, III. xi. 18. A Lydian

lake uear Sardis.

Hadria, I. VI. 1.

Hadriacus, III. xxi. 17.

Hnedus, II. xxvi. 56.

Haemon, II. viii. 21. The son of
Creon, betrotlied to Autigone,
committed suicide after lier
death,

349

INDEX

Haemonius, I. xiii. 21, xv. 20 ;

II. I. 63, VIII. 38, X. 2 ; III. i.
26. Thessalian, from a certain
Haemon, son of Pelasgus and
father of Thessalus.

Hamadryades, I. xx. 32 ; II. xxxii.
37, XXXIV. 76.

Hannibal, III. iii. 11, xi. 59.

Hebe, I. xiii. 23. The goddess of
youth ; became the bride of Her-
cnles when he became a god.

Hector, II. viii. 38, xxii. 31, 34 ;

III. I. 28, VIII. 31.
Hectoreus, II. viii. 32; lY. vi. 38.
Helena, II. i. 50 ; II. iii. 32, xxxiv.

88 ; III. vm. 32, xiv. 19.

Helenus, III. i. 29. Son of Priam
and a propliet.

Helicon, II. x. 1 ; III. iii. 1, v. 19.

Helle, II. xxvi. 5 ; III. xxii. 5.
Daughter of Athamas ; gave her
name to the Hellespont, into
which she fell from the back of
the golden ram.

Hercules, I. xiii. 23, xx. 16 ; 11.
XXIII. 8 ; III. XXII. 10 ; IV. ix.
17, 70.

Herculeus, I. xi. 2 ; II. xxxii. 5 ;
iri. xvni. 4 ; IV. vii. 82 ; ix.
39, X. 9. The via Hercu ea of
I. XI. 2 and III. xviii. 4 was a
narrow spit of land dividing the
Lucrine Lake from the sea. It
was said to have been built by
Hercules when he carried ofl the
oxen of Geryon.

Hermione, I. iv. 6. Daughter of
Menelaus and Helen. Neoptole-
mus and Orestes were rivals for
lier love.

Ilesperitles, III. xxii. 10. Nymphs
of a legendary garden in tlie far
West, where grew apples of gold.

Hesperius, II. iii. 43, 44, xxiv. 26;
IV. I. 86. Western. In II. xxiv.
26 the allusion is to the snake
which guarded the golden apples
in the gardeu of the Hesperides,.. -

350

Hiberus, II. iii. 11.
Hilaira, I. ii. 16. Hiiaira and
Phoebe, daughters of Leucippus,
were betrothed to Idas and
Lynceus, sons of Aphareus, but
were carried off by Castor aud
Pollux.

Hippodamia, I. ii. 20, viii. 35.
Daughter of Oenomaus, King of
Elis, who promised her to the
man that could defeat bim in a
chariot race. Pelops succeeded
in so doing by fraud, and won
Hippodamia.

Hippolyte, IV. iii. 43. Queen
of the Amazons ; conquered by
Theseus, wliose wife she became.

Hippolytus, IV. V. 5. The son of
Theseus and Hippolyte, beloved
by his stepmother Phaedra.

Homerus, I. vii. 3, ix. 11 ; II. i. 21,
XXXIV. 45 ; III. I. 33.

Horatins, III. iii. 7. Horatia pila
refers to the three Horatii who
fought the Curiatii, called Curii
by Propertius.

Horos, IV. I. 78. An astrologer.

Hylaei, I. viii. 26. The inhabi-
tants of Hylaea, a laiid beyond
Scythia.

Hylaeus, I. i. 13. A ceutaur who
attacked Atalanta. Milanion de-
fended her, and was wounded by
Hylaeus.

Hylas, L xx. 6, 32, 48, 52. Son
of Therodamas, beloved by Her-
cules.

Hymenaeus, IV. iv. 61.

Hypanis, I. xii. 4. Either the
river Bug or the river Kuban, in
South Russia.

Hypermestre, IV. vii. 63, 67. The
only one of the fifty daughters
of Danaus who refused to kill
her husband.

Hypsipyle, I. xv. 18, 19. Queen of
Lemnos, beloved and deserted by
Jasou.

^^. ^IGHA£L'Q
COLLEG£

^ l /&P AflV

INDEX

Hyrcanus, II. xxx. 20. Hyrcanum
mare is the Caspian.

lACCHUS, II. iir. 17; IV. ii. 31.
Bacchus.

lasis, I. I. 10. Atalanta, danghter
of lasus, beloved and wou,accord-
ing' to this version of the legend,
by Milanion.

lason, II. XXI. 11, xxxiv. 85.

lasonius, II. xxiv. 45.

Icariotis, III. xiii. 10. Penelope,
daughter of Icarius.

Icarius, II. xxxiii. 24. Icarus, II.
XXXIII. 29. Icarus, or Icarius,
learned from Dionysus the art of
making- wine. He gave some to
some Attic peasants, who became
drunk. Thinking' that they were
poisoned, they murdered him. He
became a star in the Great Bear,
named Arcturus, or Bootes.

Ida, II. XXXII. 35. Mouut Ida,
above Troy.

Idaeus, II, II. 14, XXXII. 39 ; III. i.
27, XVII. 36.

Idaliiis, II. XIII. 54 ; IV. vi. 59.
Adj. from Idalium, a mouutain
in Cyprus, sacred to Venus.

Idas, I, II. 17. See Hilaira.

Iliacus, II. XIII. 48 ; IV. iv. 69.

Ilias, II. I. 14, 50, XXXIV. 66.

Ilion, III. I. 31.

Ilius, III. XIII. 61 ; IV. I. 53.

Illyria, I. viii. 2 ; II. xvi. 10.

Illyricus, II. xvi. 1.

Inachis, I. iii. 20 ; II. xxxiii. 4.
lo, daughter of Inachus.

Inacliius, I. xiii. 31 ; II. xiii. 8.
Argive, Greek, from Inachus,
Kiiig- of Argos.

India, II. x. 15.

Indicus, II. xxiT. 10; III. xvii. 22.

Indus, I. VIII. 39 ; II. ix. 29,
xviii. 11 ; III. IV. 1, XIII. 5 ;
IV. III. 10.

Ino, II. XXVIII. 19. Ino, daughter
of Cadmus and wife of Athamas,

was smitten with madness by
Hera. She threw herself into
the sea and became a sea-g:oddess
named Leucothea, here called
Leucothae.

lO, II. XXVIII. 17, XXX. 29, XXXIII.

7. lo, beloved of Jupiter, was
turned intoa cow by the jealousy
of Juno, and was only restored to
humaii shape after long' wander-
ings. In XXXIII. she is identified
with Isis.

lolciacis, II. i. 54. Adj. from
loicus, the liome of Jason.

lole, IV. V. 35. A slave of
Cynthia.

lonia, I. VI. 31.

lonius, II. XXVI. 2, 14 ; III. xi. 72,
XXI. 19 ; IV. VI. 16, 58.

lope, II. XXVIII. 51. There were
two lopes : (1) D.iughter of
Iphicles and wife of Theseus.
(2) Daughter of Aeolus and
wife of Cepheus ; tlie mother
of Andromeda, more commonly
called Cassiope.

Iphiclus, II. III. 52. See Melampus.

Iphigenia, III. vii. 24.

Irus, III. V. 17. A beggar at the
house of Ulysses, defeated by the
disg-uised Ulysses in a boxing
match.

Ischomache, II. ii. 9. The bride of
Pirithous, carried olf by centaurs
from her wedding' feast.

Isis, IV. V. 34.

Isniara, III. xii. 25. Tlie home of
the Cicones in Thrace. Proper-
tius speaks of it as a mountain,
Homer as a town.

Ismarius, II. xiii. 6, xxxiii. 32.
Adj. from the foregoing- ; ==
Tliracian.

Isthmos, III. XXI. 22. Isthmus of
Corinth.

Italia, I. XXII. 4 ; III. vii. 63 ; IV.
III. 40.

Italus, III. I. 4 ; XXII. 28.

351

INDEX

Ithaciis, I. XV. 9 ; III. xii. 29.

Itys, III. X. 10. The sou of Philo-
mela, slain by his mother to
avenge the outrage done by Philo-
mela's husband, Tereus, to her
sister Procne.

lugurtha, III. v. 16 ; IV. vi. 66.

luleus, IV. VI. 17.

lulius, IV. VI. 54.

luliis, IV. I, 48. The son of Aeneas.

luno, II. V. 17, XXVIII. 11, 33, 34,
XXXIII. 9; III. XXII. 35; IV. i.
101, VIII. 16, IX. 43, 71.

luppiter, I. XIII. 29, 32 ; II. i. 39,

II. 4, 6, III. 30, VII. 4, XIII. 16, XVI.
16, 48, XXII. 25, XXVI. 42, 46,
XXVIII. 1, 44 ; XXX. 28, xxxii.
60, xxxiii. 7, 14, XXXIV. 18, 40 ;

III. I. 27 ; II. 20, III. 12, IV. 6, ix.
15, 47, XI. 28, 41, 66, XV. 19, 22,
36,39, XXIV. 20; IV. t. 54, 82,
83, 103 ; IV. 2, 10, 30, 85, VI. 14,
23, IX. 8, X. 1, 15, 16, 48.

Ixion, IV. XI. 23.

Ixionides, II. i. 38. Pirithous, the
frieud of Tlieseus.

LaCAENA, II. XV. 13.

Lacon, III. xiv. 33.

Lais, II. VI. 1. -A courtesau.

Lalage, IV. vii. 45. A slave of

Cyntliia.
Lampetie, III. xii. 29, 30. Daughter

of Plioebus and guardian of liis

cattle.
Lanuvium, II. xxxii. 6 ; IV. viii. 3,

48. A small town some miles to

the south-east of Rome.
Laomedon, II. xiv. 2. The father

of Priam.
Lapitha, II. ii. 9. An ancestor of

Ischomache.
Lar, 11. XXX. 22 ; IIL iii. 11 ; IV.

III. 54, VIII. 50.
Latinus, II. xxxii. 61 ; IV. vi. 45.
Latius, III. IV. 6 ; IV. x. 37.
Latris, IV. vii. 75, A slave of

Cynthia.

352

Lavinus, II. xxxiv. 64. Adj. from
Lavinium, a city of Latium
founded by Aeneis.

Lechaeum, III. xxi. 19. The
western port of Corinth.

Leda, I. xiii. 29, 30. Mother of
Castor, Pollux, and Helen by
Jupiter.

Leo, IV. I. 85.

Lepidus, IV. xi. 63. One of Cor-
nelia's sons.

Lerna, II. xxvi. 48. Leruaeus, II.
XXIV. 25. Tlie name of the fen
wliere dwelt tlie hydra, the slay-
ing of which formed tlie second
labour of Hercules.

Lesbia, II. xxxii. 45, xxxiv. 88.
Tlie pseudonym of Clodia, the
mistress of Catulhis.

Lesbius, I. xiv. 2.

Lethaeus, IV. vii. 10, 91.

Leucadia, II. xxxiv. 86. Tlie
mistress of Varro of Atax.

Leucadius, III. xi. 69. Adj. from
Leucas, a promontory overlooking
the Bay of Actium, on wliicli was
built a temple of ApoUo.

Leucippis, I. ii. 15. See Hilaira.

Leucothoe, II. xxvi. 10, xxviii. 20.
See luo. More usually Leucothea.

Liber, I. iii. 14.

Libones, IV. xi. 31. Cornelia's
family ou her mother's side.

Liburnus, III. xi. 44. A kind of
light galley.

Libya, IV. i. 103.

Libycus, II. xxxi. 12 ; IV. ix. 46.

Linus, 11. xiii. 8. A mythical
personage regarded as one of the
earliest poets.

Luceres, IV. i. 31. The Roman
people af ter the Sabine war were
composed of three tribes, tlie
Ramnes, the origlnal followers
of Romulus, the Titienses, the
followers of Titus Tatius, and
the Luceres under Lucumo, or
Lygmon, who is represented by

INDEX

Propertius aud Dionysius of

Halicarnassus as comiug- fiom

Solonium, a town near Lanuvium.
Lucifer, 11. xix. 28.
Lucina, IV i. 99. A title of Juno,

as the goddess of childbirth.
Lucrinus, I. xi. 10. A lagoon on

the Bay of Naples, near Baiae.
Luna, I. X. 8 ; II. xxviii. 37, xxxiv.

52 ; IIL XX. 14.
Lupercus, IV. i. 26. A priest of

Liipercus, the Roman equivalent

of Pan Lukaios.
Lupercus, IV. i. 93. Son of Arria.
Lyaeus, II. xxxiii. 35 ; III. v. 21.

A title of Bacchus.
Lycinna, III. xv. 6, 43. Propertius'

first love.
Lycius, III. i. 38. The "Lycian

god " is Apollo.
Lycomedius, IV. ii. 51. The

Etruscans under Lucumo (see

Luceres) were called Lycomedii.
Lycoris, II. xxxiv. 91. The mistress

of Cornelius Galhis. Her real

name was Cytheris.
Lycotas, IV. iii. 1. The pseudonym

of some noble Roman, perhaps

identical with the Postumus of

III. xii.
Lycurgus, III . xvii. 23. Lj^curgus,

King- of Thrace, disapproving- of

tlie Bacchic revels, seized Diony-

sus. Tlie god smote him with mad-

ness, so that while he thought to

hew down a viue he slew his own

son.
Lycus, III. XV. 12. See Antiope.
Lydia, I. vi. 32.
Lydius, III. xi. 18, xvii. 30 ; IV.

VII. 62.
Lydus, IIL V. 17 ; IV. ix. 48.
Lygdamus, III. vi. 2, 11, 19, 24, 31,

36, 42; IV. VII. 35, Vlii. 37, 68,

70, 79. A slave of Cynthia.
Lygmon, IV. i. 29. /S^ee Luceres.
Lyuceus, II. xxxiv. 9, 25. A poet

and fiieud of Propertius.

Lysippus, III. IX. 9. A great
sculptor, born at Sicyon, who
flourished during" the latter por-
tion of the fourth century b.cj.

Machaon, II. I, 59. A Greek
physician at the siege of Troy.

Maeander, II. xxx. 17. A Phrygian
river.

Maeandrius, II. xxxiv. 35.

Maecenas, II. i. 17, 73; III. ix. 1,
21, 34, 59.

Maenalius, IV. ix. 15. Adj. from
Maenalus, a mountain in Arcadia,
and here usedIoosely=Arcadiau.

Maenas, III. viii. 14, xiii. 62.

Maeonius, II. xxviii. 29. Maeonia
was an ancient name of Lydia.
Here the word means Homeric,
as accordingf to some accounts
Homer was born in Lydia.

Maeoticus, II. iii. 11.

Maeotis, III. xi. 14. Lake Maeotis
is the modern Sea of Azof.

Magnus, IV. viii. 41. The name
of a dwarf.

Maius, IV. V. 36.

Malea, III. xix. 8. The most
southerly promontory of the
Peloponuese.

Mamurius, IV. ii. 61. Mamurius
Veturius was a mythical worker
iu bronze of the reign of Numa.

Marcius, III. ii. 14, xxii. 24. The
aq?ia Marcia was the water
supplied by the aqueduct built
by Quintus Marcius Kex in
144 B.c. It was famous for its
excellence.

Marianus, III. iii. 43. Marianum
siynu7n refers to the eagle which
Marius is said to have first
adoi)ted as the Iloman standard.

Marius, II. i. 24 ; III. V. 16, xi. 46.
Caius Marius, the great Koman
general who defeated the Teu-
tones and Cimbri in 102 and 101

B.C.

S5S

INDEX

Maro, II, xxxiT. 14. Maro was a

companion of Bacclius, some say
his son.
Mars, II. XXXII. 33, xxxiv. 56 ;

III. III. 42, IV. 11, XI. 58 ; IV. I.
83.

Martius, IV. i. 55.

Mausoleus, III. ii. 21. The Mauso-
leum was erected in memory of .
Mansolus, King- of Caria, by liis
widow Artemisia. He died 353.
His monument was one of tlie
"Wonders of tlie World." Its
sculptui-es are now in the British
Museum.

Mavors, II. xxvii. 8.

Medea, IX. xxiv. 45 ; III. xix. 17 ;

IV. V. 41.

Medus, III. IX. 25, XII. 11.

Melampas, II. iii. 51. Melampus,
fiou of Amythaon, undertook to
drive off the herd of Iphiclus
for Neleus, that Bias, his own
brother, might win the hand of
Pero, the daughter of Neleus.
He was captured and imprisoned,
but escaped, and eventualjy siic-
ceeded in his task. Propertius
seems to foUow a ditferent ver-
sion, making- Melampus himself
the suitor of Pero.

Memnon, II. xviii. 16. The son of
the Dawn, and King of Ethippia ;
came to aid the Trojans and was
slain by Acliilles.

Memnonius, I. vi. 4.

Memphis, III. xi. 34. A town of
Egypt.

Menandreus, II. vi. 3. Menander,
the celebrated writer of comedy,
wrote a comedy with Thais, a
well - known courtesan, for
heroine.

Menandrus, III. xxi. 28 ; IV. v. 43.

Menehieus, II. xv. 14.

Menelaus, II. iii. 37, xxxiv, 7.

Menoetiades, II. i. 38. Patroclus,
the 6on of Menoetius.

354

Mens Bona, III. xxiv. 19. The

Romans, following their custom
of personifying- abstract concep-
tions, erected a temple to " Good
Sense" in 217 b.c.
Mentor, III. ix. 13. A famous
silversmith of the eariy portion
of the fourth ce-ntury b.c.
Mentoreus, I. xiv. 2.
Mercurius, II. ii. 11, xxx. 6.
Meroe, IV. vi. 78. Tke capital of

Aethiopia.
Merops, II. xxxiv. 31. Merops
was an early Kjng of Cos. Here
Merops = Coan.
Methymnaeus, IV. viii. 38. Adj.

from Methymna, in Lesbos.
Mevania, IV. i. 123. The modern

Bevagna, near Assisi.
Milanion, I. i. 9. The lover of

Atalanta.
Mimas, III. vii. 22. A mountain
in Lydia, running' into a head-
land called Argennum, which
may have been connected witli
Argynnus (q.v.).
Mimnermus, I. ix. 11. A famous
eroticpoet of Colophon, flourished
about 630 B.c.
Minerva, I. ii. 30 ; II. ix. 5 ; IV. i.

118, V. 23.
Minois, II. xiv. 7, xxiv. 43.

Ariadne, daugliter of Minos.
Minois (adj.), IV. xi. 21.
Minos, II. xxxii. 57 ; III. xix. 27.
Minos, King- of Cnossus, in Crete.
After his death he became judge
in Hades.
Minous, III. XIX. 21.
Minyae, I. xx. 4. The Argonauts,
socalled becausemostlydescended
from Minyas.
Misenus, III. xviii. 3. The trum-
peter of Aeneas, buried at
Misenum, at tlie north end of
the Bay of Naples, the modern
Miseno.
Misenus (adj.), I. xi. 4.

INDEX

Molossus, IV. VII. 24. The Molossi

were a tribe in Epirus.
Musa, I. VIII. 41 ; II. i. 35, x. 10,

XII. 22, XIII. 3, xxxiv. 31 ; III. i.

10, 14, II. 15, III. 29, V. 20 ; IV.

IV. 51, VI. XI. 75.
Mutina, II. i. 27. The modern

Modena, where Octavian def eated

Mark Antony and relieved Deci-

mus Brutus, who was besieged

(43 B.c).
Mycenae, III. xix. 19.
Mycenaeus, II. xxii. 32.
Mygdonius, IV. vi. 8. Phrygian.

The Mygdones were a tribe of

Phrygia.
Myron, II. xxxi. 7. A famous

Athenian sculptor, flourished

430 B.c.
Myrrha, III. xix. 16. Myrrha fell

in love with her father, Cinyras.

She was transformed as a puuish-

ment into a myrrh-tree.
Mys, III. IX. 14. A famous silver-

smith of the fifth century b.c.
Mysus, I. XX. 10; II. i. 63. The

Mysus iuvenis of the latter pas-

sage is Telephus, Kiug- of Mysia,

wounded by the spear of Achilles,

and healed by the rust from the

same spear.

Nais, II. XXXII. 40.

Nauplius, IV. 1. 1 1 5. See Caphareus.

NavaUs (Phoebus), IV. i. 3. The
temple of Phoebus Navalis was
the famous temple of Apollo on
the Palatine, erected by Augustus
as a memorial of his victory at
Actium.

Naxius, III. XVII. 28.

Nemorensis, III. xxii. 25. The Lake
of Nemi, iu the Alban hills.

Neptunius, III. ix. 41.

Neptunus, II. xvi. 4, xxvi. 9, 45, 46 ;
Iir. VII. 15, XI. 42, 51.

Nereides, II. xxvi. 15.

Nereus, III. vii. 67 ; IV. vi. 25.

Nesaee, II. xxvi. 16. A sea-nymph.

Nestor, II. xiii. 46, xxv. 10. King
of Pylos; lived throug-h three
generations of raen.

Nilus, II. i. 31, XXVIII. 18, XXXIII.
3, 20 ; III. XI. 42, 51 ; IV. vi. 63
VIII. 39.

Niobe, II. XX. 7 ; III. x. 8. Niobe
boasted tliat her six sons and six
daughters were f airer than Apollo
and Artemis. The latter punished
her by slayiug her children, while
she was turned into stone. See
Sipylus.

Nireus, III. xviii. 27. The hand-
somest man iii the Greek army
before Troy.

Nisus, III. XIX. 24. King of Me-
gara. He had a purple lock of
hair, on which his life depended.
Minos the Cretan besieged Me-
g-ara, and Scylla, the daughter of
Nisus, fell in love with him, cut
olf the purple lock from her
fatlier's head, and betrayed the
city. Miiios rewarded her by
tying her to the rudder of his
ship and so drowning her.

Nomas, IV. vii. 37. A slave of
Cyiithia.

Nomentum, IV. x. 26. A town
some three miles from Rome.

Notus, II. V. 12, IX. 34 ; III. xv.
32 ; IV. V. 62, VI. 28, VII. 22.

Novi Agri, IV. viii. 2. The gardens
laid out by Maeceuas oii the
Esquiliue in place of au iiisani-
tary burial-grouud.

Numa, IV. ii. 60. Pompilius Numa,
an early King of Rome.

Numautinus, IV. xi. 30. Adj. from
Numautia, iu Spaiu. Numantinos
avos refers to Scipio Africanus,
tlie couqueror of Numantia. He
was known also as Numautiuus.

Nycteis, I. iv. 5. Antiope, daughter
of Nycteus.

Nycteus, III. xv. 12.

355

INDEX

Nymphae,!. xx. 11, 34, 52 ; IV. iv.

25.
Nysaeiis, III. xvii. 22. Adj. from

Nysa, a legeudary moimtain or

tovvn, wliere Bacchus was broiight

up by tlie uymplis.

OcEANUS, II. IX, 30, XVI. 17 ; IV.
IV. 64.

Ocuus, IV. III. 21. Ocuus was au
iudustrious man, wliose liard-wou
earuiugs were coutiuually cou-
sumed Iby the extravagance of
his wife. lu Polygnotus' great
pictureof the uuderworldhe was
represented as heiug punished for
his folly by haviug eterually to
twist a rope of straw, which au
ass devoured. continually at the
other eud. " To twist the rope
of Ocuus " was a proverbial
expression.

OeagTus, II. XXX. 35. Oeagrus was
the f ather of Orpheus by the
Muse Calliope. The phrase
Oeayri figura suggests that Pro-
pertius followed a form of the
legeud which made Apollo tlie
father of Orpheus, disguised as
Oeagrus.

Oetaeus, I. xiii. 24 ; III. i. 32.
Hercules died ou Mouut Oeta, was
translated to httaveu, and married
Hebe.

Oiliades, IV. i. 117. Ajax, the sou
of Oileus, ravished Cassandra,
aud was piiuished for his sin by
the disaster which befell the
Greek fleet off Caphareu.s, in
wliicli he met his death.

Olympiis, II. I. 19.

Omphale, III. xi. 17. A queen of
Lydia, whom Hercules loved, aud
served disguised as a womau.

Orcus, III. XIX. 27.

Orestes, II. xiv. 5.

Oricius, III. vii. 49. Oricus, I.
VIII. 20. A seaport in Illyria.

S5Q

Orion, II. xvi. 51, xxvi. 66.
Orithyia, I. xx. 31 ; II. xxvi. 51 ;

III. VII. 13. The daughter of

Pandion, ravislied by the North

Wind.
Orontes, II. xxiii. 21. Orouteus,

I. II. 3. A Syrian river, near

Antioch.
Orops, IV. I. 77. A BaDylonian

astrologer.
Orpheus, III. ii. 3.
Orpheus (adj.), I. iii. 42.
Ortygia, II. xxxi. 10 ; III. xxii. 15.

A mythical islaud, later ideuti-

fied with Delos.
Oscus, IV. II. 62. The Oscaus

were a people of Italy. Here

the adjective meaus " rude,"

" brutal."
Ossa, 11. 1. 19. Otus aud Epliiakes,

giauts, wislied to pile Mount Peliou

011 Mount Ossa, that they might

storm heaven. Ossa is in Thes-

saly.

Pactolus, I. VI. 32, XIV. 11 ; III.

XVIII. 28. A Lydian river

famoiis for its alluvial gold.
Paestum, IV. v. 61. The modern

Pesto, in South Italy, was in

ancieut times famous for its

roses.
Paetus, III. VII. 5, 17, 26, 27, 47,

54, 66. A frieud of Propertius,

drowued. at sea.
Pagasa, I. xx. 17. A seaport iu

Thessaly, where the Argo was

lauuched.
Palatinus, IV. vi. 11, 44.
Palatium, IV. i. 3, ix. 3. The

Palatiue.
Palladius, III. ix. 42.
Pallas, II. II. 7, XXVIII. 12, xxx.

18 ; III. XX. 7 ; IV. iv. 45, ix.

57.
Pan, III. III. 30, XIII. 45, xvii. 34.
Paudionius, I. xx. 31. Pandion,

Kiug of Athens, was tlie fatlier

INDEX

of Oritliyia, tlie Nortli AVind's

bride.
Panthus, II. xxi. 1, 2. A lover of

Cynthia.
Parcae, IV. xi. 13.
Parilia, IV. i. 19, iv. 73. The feast

of Pales, the goddess of flocks,

took place on April 21, the day

of the foundation of Eome.
Paris, II. III. 37, XV. 13, xxxii. 35 ;

III. I. 80, VIII. 29, XIII. 63.
Parnassus, II. xxxi. 13 ; III. xiii,

54.
Parrhasius, III. ix. 12. A painter

of Ephesus ; flourished at the end

of the fif th centurj^ b.c.
Parthenie, IV. vii. 74. Cynthia's

nurse.
Parthenius, I. i. 11. Adj. from

Parthenium, a mountain in

Arcadia.
Parthus, II. x. 14, xiv. 23, xxvii.

6 ; III. IV. 6, IX. 54, XII. 3 ; IV.

III. 36, 67, V. 26, VI. 79.
Pasiphae, II. xxviii. 52. The wife

of Minos, King of Cnossus, and

inother of thc Miuotaur. See II.

xxxii. 57.
Patroclos, II. viii. 33.
Paullus (L. Aemilius), IV. xi. 1,

11, 35, 81, 96. The hushand of

Cornelia, consul in 34 b.c, and

censor in 22 b.c.
Paulhis, IV. XI. 63. Son of the

above.
Pegae, I. xx. 33. A Mysian foun-

tain where Hylas perished.
Pegaseus, II. xxx. 3.
Peg-asides, III. i. 19. The Muses,

80 called from the fountain of

Hippocrene, sometinies called

Pegasis because caused by a blow

from the hoof of Pegasus.
Pelasgus, II. xxviii. 11. Perhaps

a learned epithet for Juno, who

is styled Hera Pehisgis in Ai^pol-

lonius Rhodius. Tlie Pelasgi were

a primitive people of Greece.

Peleus, II. IX. 15. The father of
Achilles.

Peliacus, III. xxii. 12. Adj. from
Pelion. The plirase Peliacae
trabes refers to the Argo, the
timbers for which were hewn
from Mount Pelion, in Tlies-
saly.

Pelides, II. xxii. 34. Achilles.

Pelion, II. I. 20. See Peliacus and
Ossa.

Pelopeus, III. XIX. 20 ; IV. vi,
33.

Pehisium, III. ix. 55. A fortress
on the Pelusiac branch of the
Nile, captured by Augustus.

Penelope, II. ix. 3 ; III. xii. 38 ;
XIII. 24 ; IV. V. 7.

Penthesilea, III. xi. 14. Penthe-
silea, queen of the Amazons,
came to Troy to help the Trojans.
She was slain by Achilles, who
was said to have faUen in love
with her when her helmet was
removed and he saw the beauty
of her dead face.

Pentlieus, III. xvii. 24, xxii. 33.
The son of Echion and Agave,
torn in pieces by his mother and
her attendant Bacchanals while
he spied upon tlieir revels.

Pergama, II. i. 2^, iii. 35 ; III. ix.
39. The citadel of Troy.

Pergameus, III. xiii. 62 ; IV. i. 51.
Adj. from the above. Pergamea
vatis (IV. I. 51) is Cassandra.

PeriUus, II. xxv. 12-. PeriUus made
a bull of bronze, so fashioned
that a man miglit be placed in-
side and roasted over a fire.
Phalaris, Tyrant of AgTigentum,
to whom Perillus oifered the
buU, caused its maker to be
roasted in it.

Perimedeus, II. iv. 8. Adj. from
Perimede, a legendary sorceress.

Permessus, II. x. 26.

Pero, II. III. 53. See Melampus.

2 A

S57

INDEX

PeiTliaebiis, III. v. 33. Tlie Per-
liiaebi were a people of Epirus
dwelliug- ou the slopes of Mouut
Piudus.

Persa, III. xi. 21.

Persephoue, II. xiii. 26, xxviii. 47,
48.

Perses, IV. xi. 39. Perses, or Per-
seus, Kiug- of Macedouia, was
defeated by Aemilius PauUus,
Coruelia's aucestor, at Pydua iu
168 B.c. He claimed to be de-
sceuded botli from Acliilles and
Hercules.

Perseus, II. xxviii. 22, xxx. 4.

Perseus (adj.), III. xxii. 8.
Perusiuus, I. xxii. 3. Adj. from

Perusia, tlie moderu Perugia,

wbere Octaviau defeated Lucius

Autouius iu tbe Perusiue war,

41 B.C.
Petale, IV. vii. 43. A slave of

Cyntliia.
Phaeacus, III. ii. 13. Adj. from

Phaeacia. The allusiou is to the

famous orchard of Alcinous de-

scribed in the Odijssey.
Phaedra, II. i. 51.
Pharius, III. vii. 5 ; Pharos, II. i.

30. Pharos was au island in the

port of Alexandria.
Phasis, I. XX. 18 ; III. xxii. 11. A
river of Colcliis, in the Black Sea.

Phidiacus, III. ix. 15. A refereuce
to the cluyselephautiue statue of
Zeus made by Phidias for the
temple at Olympia.

Philetaeus, III. iii. 52 ; IV. vi. 3.
The most famous of the elegiac
poets of tlie Alexandriau period.

Philetas, II. xxxiv. 31 ; III. i. 1.
A Coau poet, after Callimachus.

Philippeus, III. xi. 40. The " blood
of Philip" meaus the Ptolemaic
dyuasty, whose kiugs claimed
descent from Philip of Macedon.

Philippi, II. I. 27.

Phillyrides, II. i. 60. See Chirou.

358

Philoctetes, II. i. 59. Philoctetes
was bitten by a serpeut on the
way to Troy, aud abaudoued iu
the islaud of Lemuos. Later au
oracle declared that without tlie
aid of Philoctetes' bow Troy
would not be taken. He was
therefore brought to Troy. and
healed of the serpenfs bite which
had crippled him.

Phineus, III. v. 41. Phineus, Kiug"
of Bithyuia, was bliuded as a
punishmeut for his sin in blind-
ing his children, and was also
plagued by Harpies, who defiled
the meats upou his table, making
them uueatable.

Plilegraeus, II. i. 39 ; III. ix. 48,

XI. 37. Tlie Phlegreau plaius,
the volcanic district immediately
north of Naples, were reputed to
have been the scene of the battle
between the gods and giants.

Phoebe, I. ii. 15. See Hilaira.
Phoebus, I. II. 17, 27 ; II. xv. 15,

xxviii. 54, XXXI. 1, 5, 10, XXXII.

28, XXXIV. 61 ; III. I. 7, iii. 13,

XII. 30, XX. 12, XXII. 30 ; IV. i. 3,
II. 32, VI. 15, 27, 67, 76.

Plioeuices, II. xxvii. 3.

Phoeuix, II. I. 60. Phoeuix was the
tutor of Acliilles. He was bliuded
by his f atlier, but healed by Chiron ,
and became kiug of th© Dolopes.

Phorcis, III. XXII. 8. A mouster,
the fatherof the Gorgon Medusa.

Phrygia, III. xiii. 63.

Phrygius, I. ii. 19 ; II. i. 42, xxx.
19, XXXIV. 35.

Phryne, II. vi. 6. A famous cour-
tesau of Atliens.

Phryx, II. XXII. 16, 30 ; IV. i. 2.

Phthius, II. XIII. 38. Adj. from
Phtliia, the home of Achilles.

Phylacides, I. xix. 7. Protesilaus,
son of Phylacus, husbaud of Lao-
damia. He went to the siege of
Troy immediately after liis mar-

INDEX

riage, and was the first of tlie

Greeks to be slaiu. He was per-

mitted to leave Hades to visit liis

wife.
rii.yllis, II. XXIV. 44. Daugliter of

Lycurgiis. See Demoplioon.
Phyllis, IV. Viii. 29, 39, 57. A

courtesan.
Pierides, II. x. 12.
Pierius, II. xiii. 5, Adj. from Mount

Pierus, in Thessaly, sacred to tlie

Muses.
Pindaricus, III. xvii. 40.
Pindus, III. V. 33. A mountain on

tlie borders of Macedonia and

Epirus.
Piraeus, III. xxi. 23.
l*irithous, II. vi. 18. The husband

of Ischomache,ravi8hed from him

by centaurs at his wedding feast.

See also Ixionides.
Pisces, lY. I. 85.
Plato, ILI. XXI. 25.
Pleias, II. XVI. 51 ; III. v. 36.
Poenus, II. XXXI. 3 ; IV. iii. 51.
Pollux, I. II. 16 ; III. XIV. 17, XXII.

26.
Polydorus, III. xiii. 56. A son of

Priam, sent for safety to Poly-

mestor, King of Thrace, aiid mur-

dered by liis host for the sake of

his gold.
Polymestor, III. xiii. 55. See ahove.
Polyphemus, II. xxiii. 32 ; III. ii.

7, XII. 26.
Pompeia Porticus, II. xxxii. 11. A

colonnade built in 55 b.c, and

standing- near Pompey's theatre

on the Campius Martius.
Pompeius, III. xi. 35.
Pompeius (adj.), III. xi. 68 ; IV.

VIII. 75. The Pompeia umbra

in the latter passage refers to tlie

Porticus Pompeia.
Ponticus, I. VII. 1, 12, IX. 26. An

epic poet and f riend of Propertius.

Postumus, III. XII. 1, 15, 23. A

friend of Propertius, husband of

Aelia Galla, perhaps identical
with Lycotas.

Praeneste, II. xxxii. 3. The
modern Palestrina, some twenty
miles east of Rome, famous for
the oracle of Fortuna Primigenia.

Praxiteles, III. ix. 16. A famous
Athenian sculptor, flourished in
the middle of the fourth century
B.c. His most famous statue was
the Venus of Cnidos, to which
there is an allusion in Triopos
urbe, Triops, or Triopas, being- the
legendary fouuder of Cnidos.

Priamus, II. iii. 40, xxviii. 54 ; IV.
i. 52.

Prometheus (subst. and adj.), I. xii.
10 ; II. I. 69 ; III. V. 7.

Propertius, II. viii. 17, xiv. 27,
XXIV. 35, XXXIV. 93 ; III. iii. 17,
X. 15 ; IV. I. 71, VII. 49.

Propontiacus, III. xxii. 2.

Ptolemaeeus, II. i. 30.

Pudicitia, II. vi. 25. There were
two temples of Pudicitia at Eouie,
the one dedicated to Pudicitia
patricia, the other to Pudicitia
plebeia.

Pulydamas, III. i. 29. A Trojan
warrior.

Pyrrhus, III. xi. 60. King- of
Epirus; invaded Italy iii tlie
early years of the third century
B c, and was only defeated by
Pome with the greatest difficulty.

P^thius, II. XXXI. 16 ; III. xiil. 52.
An ei^ithet of ApoUo ; := Del-
phian.

Python, IV. vi. 35. A gigantic
snake slain by Apollo at Delphi.

QuiNTiLiA, II. xxxiv. 90. See

Calvus.
Quirinus, IV. vi. 21. Originally a

title of Romulus, but here given

to Augustus as second f ounder of

the city.
Quirites, IV. i. 13, viii. 59.

359

INDEX

Ramnes, IV. T. 31. See Liiceres.

Remus, II. i. 23 ; III. ix. 50 ; IV.
I. 9, 50, VI. 80. Freqnently nsed
metri gratia for Romuhis.

Rhemis, III. iii. 45 ; IV. x. 39, 41.

Rliipaeus, I. vi. 3. A mytiiical
rauge of mountains in the Noitli.

Koma, I. viii. 31, xii. 2 ; II. v. 1,
VI. 22, XV. 46, XVI. 19, XIX. 1,
XXXII. 43, xxxiii. 16 ; III. i. 15,
35, III. 44, XI. 36, 49, 55, 66, xii.
18, XIII. 60, XIV. 34, XXII. 20 ;
IV. I. 1, 67, 87, II. 49, IV. 9, 35,
56, VI. 57, IX. 20, X. 10, XI. 37.

Eomanus, I. vii. 22, xxii. 5 ; II.

III. 29, 30, x. 4, xviii. 26, xxviii.
55; III. III. 11, IV. 10, IX. 23,
49, 55, XI. 81, 43, xxi. 15, xxii.
17; IV. I. 37, 64, ii. 6,55,iii. 45,

IV. 12, 35, VI. 3, X. 38.
Romulus, II. VI. 20 ; IV. i. 32, iv.

79, VI. 43, X. 5, 14.
Romulus (adj.), III. xi. 52 ; IV.

IV. 26.
Rubrum mare, I. xiv. 12; III.

XIII. 6.

SABINUS, II. VI. 21, XXXII. 47 ;
IV. II. 52, III. 58, IV. 12, 32, 57.

Sacra Via, II. i. 34, xxiii. 15, xxiv.
14 ; III. IV. 22. The Sacred
Way was tlie road by wliicli tlie
triumplial procession passed to
tlie Capitol. In II. xxiii. it
is mentioned as tlie liaunt of
courtesans, in II. xxiv. as tlie
street Avtiere iovcrs buy trinkets
for tlieir mistresses.

Salmonis, I. xiii. 21 ; III. xix. 13.
Tyro, daugliter of Salmoneus, was
ravislied by Poseidon, disguised
as the river-g-od Enipeus.

Sanctus, IV. ix. 71, 72, 74. A title
of Hercules.

Saturnus, II. xxxii. 52 ; IV. i. 84.

Scaeae, III. ix. 39. A gate of
Troy before which Achilles was
slain.

360

Scamander, III. i. 27. A river in
the plain of Troy.

Scipiades, III. xi. 67. A Grecised
version for Scipiones, used by
Roman poets metri gratia.

Sciron, III. xvi. 12. A robber
dwelliug' where the road from
Corinth to Megarii and Atliens
ran along the edge of the cliff.
He used to cast his victims down
the precipice into the sea, but
was at last himself destroyed by
Theseus.

Scribonia, IV. xi. 55. The mother
of Cornelia. She afterwards
became the wife of Augustus.

Scylla, II. XXVI. 53 ; III. xii. 28.
A monster dwelling- in a cave on
the Italian shore of the Straits
of Messina.

Scylla, III. XIX. 21; IV. iv. 39.
See Nisus. In tlie latter passage
she is identifled with the above.

Scyrius, II. ix. 16. See Deidamia.

Scythia, IV. iii: 47.

Scythicus, III. xvi. 13.

Semela, II. xxviii. 27, xxx. 29.
Tlie mother of Bacchus. She
besought her lover, Jupiter, to
appear in all his majesty wlien
he visited her. He did so, and
she perished in the fire of his
tliunderbolts. Bacchus was born
untimely, but saved by Jupiter,
who cut open his ovrn thigh and
concealed the infant in it until
the full time for his birth had
come.

Semiramis, III. xi. 21. A Persian
(lueen wlio founded Babylon.

Sericus, IV. iii. 8, viii. 23. Adj.
from Seres, the Chinese.

Sibylla, II. xxiv. 33 ; IV. i. 49.

Sicanus, I. xvi. 29.

Siculus, II. I. 28 ; III. xviii. 33.

Sidonius, II. xvi. 55, xxix. 15 ; IV.
IX. 47.

Silenus, III. iii. 29.

INDEX

Silvanus, lY. iv. 5.

Simois, II. IX. 12 ; III. i. 27. A
river of Troy.

Sinis, III. XXII. 37. A robber who
killed liis victims by bendiug- two
piue-trees togetber aud tying"
tliem betweeu tlie two. Then ou
the trees swiuging- back they
were torn iu two. He was piit
to death by Theseus.

Sipylus, II. XX. 8. A Phrygian
mouutain on wliich Niobe sat
turued to stoue. Tlie rock, re-
sembling- a woman phiuged in
sorrow, is still to be seen.

Sirenes, III. xii. 34.

Sisyphius, II. xvii. 7, xx. 32.
Sisyphus, IV. xi. 23. Sisyphus,
Kiug- of Coriuth, was condemued
for liis sins to roll a rock uphill
to all eternity. The moment thc
rock reached tlie top it roUed
down agaiu.

Socraticus, II. xxxiv. 27.

Solouium, IV. i. 31. A small town
noar Lanuvium, on the Appian
Way.

Spartanus, I. iv. 6 ; III. xiv. 21.

Sparte, III. xiv. 1.

Strymonis, IV. iv. 72. A woman
of Strymou, a river iu Tlirace.
= a Tliraciau Auiazon.

Stygius, II. IX. 26, xxvii. 13,
xxxiv. 53 ; III. xxiii. 9 ; lY.
III. 15, IX. 41.

Subura, IV. vii. 15. A quarter of
Rome lyiug- betweeu the Esqui-
liue, A^iminal, aud (^uirinal, and
a great hauut of courtesans.

Suevus, III. III. 45. The Suevi, a
German tribe, crossed the Rhine
in 29 B.C., aud were defeated by
Gaius Carinas.

Sycambri, IV. vi. 7 7. The Sycainbri
defeated the Eomaus uuder Mar-
cus Lollius iu Gaul 16 b.c, and
Augustus went to Gaul to deal
with the situation.

Syphax, III. xi. 59. A Libyan
kiiig- ; deserted Rome aud allied
himself with Carthage in the
secoud Punic war. He was de-
f eated by Scipio and brouglit a
captive to Rome 201 b.c.

Syrius, II.xiii. 30.

Syrtes, II. ix. 33 ; III. xix. 7, xxiv.
16. The Syrtes were two gulfs
ou the Nortli Africau coast, uow
Gulf of Cabes and Gulf of Sidra.
Tliey were regarded witli great
terror owiug" to their slioals aud
shifting- currents.

Taenarius, (a) L xiii. 22 ; (b) III.

II. 11. (a) Au epithet of Nep-

tuue. (b) A reference to black

marble quarried at Taeuarum, iu

the soutli of the Pelopouuese.
Tanais, II. xxx. 2. Tlie river Don.
TantaUs, II. xxxi. 14. Niobe,

daughter of Tautalus.
Tautaleus,II.i. 66,xvii.5; IV.xi.24.
Tarpeia, IV. iv. 1, 15, 29, 81, 93.
Tarpeius, I. xvi. 2 ; III. xi. 45 ;

IV. I. 7, IV. 1, VIII. 31.
Tarquinius, III. xi. 47. Tarquiu

the Proud, King- of Kome.
Tatius (subst. and adj.), II. xxxii.

47; IV.I.30, II. 52,1V. 7,19, 26,31,

34, 38, 89, IX. 74. Titus Tatius,

king- of the Sabines, defeated

Pomulus, and became joint Kiug

of Rome.
Taygetus, III. xiv. 15. A range of

mountaius iu Sparta.
Tegeacus, III. iii. 30. Au epithet

of Pan, who was worshipped at

Tegea, in Arcadia.
Teia, IV. viii. 31, 58. A courtesan.
Telegonus, II. xxxii. 4. Sou o£

Ulysses and Circe; the founder

of Tusculum.
Teucer, IV. vi. 21.
Teuthras, I. xi. 11. Teuthras is a

name associated with Cumae.

Who he was is not known.

S6l

INDEX

Teutonicus, TII. iii. 44. See Marius.

Thais, II. VI. 3 ; IV. v. 43. A
faiuous courtesan of Athens, the
heroiue of a play by Menander.

Thamyras, II. xxir. 19. A legen-
dary bard of Thrace who boasted
that he could vanquish the
Muses in a contest of song\ They
puuished him for his boast by
making- him bliud.

Thebae, I. vii. 1 ; II. i. 21, vi. 5,
VIII. 10 ; III. II. 5, XVII. 33; IV.
V. 25. In the last passage the
reference is to Egyptian Thebes.

Thebanns, II. viii. 24, ix. 50 ; III.

XVIII. 6.

Theiodamanteus, I. xx. 6. Adj.
from Theiodamas, father of
Hylas.

Thermodon, IV. iv. 71. Thermo-

dontiacus, III. xiv. 14. A river

of Cappadocia.

T heseus, II. i. 37, xiv. 7, xxiv. 43.

T heseus (adj.), I. iii. 1 ; III. xxi. 24.

T hesprotus, I. xi. 3. A King* of

El3irus ; but he is also connected

with the district round Cumae.

The connection is perliaps due to

the fact that Aclieron, Cocytus,

and the Acherusian Lake were

in Epirus, while there was au

Acherusian Lake near Cumae,

not to si>8ak of Avernus.

Thessalia, I. v. 6.

Thessalicus, III. xix. 13.

Thessalus, I. xix. 10 ; II. xxii. 30 ;

III. XXIV. 10.

Thetis, III. VII. 68. A sea-g:oddess,

wife of Peleus and mother of

Achilles.
Thrax, IIL xiii. 55.
Threicius, III. ii. 4.
Thybris, IIL iv. 4.
Thynias, I. xx. 34. A nymph of

Thynia, a district adjoining

Bithyuia.
Thyrsis, II. xxxiv. 68. A Ver-

gilian shepherd.

362

Tiberinus (subst. and adj.), I. xiv. 1 ;
IV. II. 7.

Tiberis, 11. xxxiii. 20 ; III. xi. 42 ;
IV. I. 8, X. 25.

Tibur, 11. xxxii. 5 ; III. xvr. 2.
The modern Tivoli, a small
town on the Anio in the Sabine
hills.

Tiburnus, III. xxii. 23.

Tiburtinus, IV. vii. 85.

Tiresias, IV. ix. 57. A Theban
who saw Pallas bathing. She in
anger blinded him, but ou the
entreaty of his mother bestowed
upon him powers of prophecy.

Tisiphone, III. v. 40. A Fury.

Titanes, II. i. 19.

Tithonus, II. xviii. 7, 15, xxv.
10. Tithonus wlien young' was
beloved by the Dawn, who gave
him immortality. She forgot,
however, to give him eterual
youth, and he grew old but
could not die.

Titiens, IV. i. 31. See Luceres.

Tityrus, II. xxxiv. 72. A Ver-
gilian shepherd.

Tityus, II. XX. 31; IIT. v. 44. A
giant, condemned to be eter-
ually devoured by a vulture iu
Hades.

Tolumuius, IV. x. 23, 37. King- of
Veii.

Triops, III. IX. 16. Founcler of
Cnidos.

Triton, II. xxxii. 16 ; IV. vi. 61.

Trivia, 11. xxxii. 10. Diana.

Troia, II. iii. 34, viii. 10, xxvui.
5 3, XXX. 30 ; III. i. 32, xviri. 3 ;
IV. I. 39, 47, 87, 114.

Troianus, II. vi. 16, xxxiv. 63.

Troicus, IV. i. 87.

Tullus, I. i. 9, VI. 2, XIV. 20, xxir.
1 ; IIT. XXII. 2, 6, 39. A friend
of Propertius.

Tuscus, IV. II. 3, 49, 50.

Tyndaridae, I. xvii. 18. Castor
and Pollux, sous of Tyndareus.

INDEX

Tyudaris, II. xxxii. 31 ; III. vm.

30. Clytemnestra, daughter of

Tyndareus.
Tyrius, III. xiv. 27 ; IV. iii. 34,

V. 22.
Tyro, II. xxviii. 51. See Sal-

monis.
Tyros, II. xvi. 18 ; III. xm. 7.
Tyrrlienus, I. viii. 11 ; III. xvii.

25. Etruscau.

Varro, II. xxxiv. 85, 86. A poet
of the Alexandrian school, born
at Atax. He translated the Argo-
nautica of Apollonius Rliodius,
and subsequently wrotc elegies in
honour of his mistress Leucadia.

Veii, IV. X. 24, 27, An ancient
town of Etruria.

Veiens, IV. x. 23.

Veius, IV. x. 31.

Vehibrum, IV. ix. 5. The marshy
laud lying betwcen the Vieus
Tuscus and tlie Forum Boarium,
beneath the Aventiue. In early
times it was flooded, and the
Aventine could only be ap-
proached from the rest of the
city by water.

Venetus, I. xii. 4.

Venus, I. I. 33, ii. 30, xiv. IG ; II.
X. 7, XIII. 56, XV. 11, xvi. 13,
XIX. 18, XXI. 2, XXII. 22, XXVIII.
9, XXXII. 33 ; III. iii. 31, iv. 19,
V. 23, VI. 34, viii. 12, IX. 11, X.
30, XIII. 2, XVI. 20, XVII. 3, XX.
20, XXIV. 13 ; IV. I. 46, 137, 138,
m. 50, V. 5, 33, 65, vii. 19, VIII.
16, 34, 45.

Vergiliae, I. viii. 10. Tlie Pieiads.

Vergilius, II. xxxiv. 61.

Vertumnus, IV. ii. 2, 10, 12, 35.
The "god of change," specially
associated with the seasons and
the fruits oi the earth. His
image stood in tlie Vicus Tuscus,
leading from the Velabrum to tlie
Forum Romanum.

Vesta, II. xxix. 27 ; III. iv. 11 ;
IV. I. 21, IV. 18, 36, 69, XI. 53.
Tlie goddess of the household
also of flocks and herds.

Vicus Tuscus, IV. ii. 50. See
Vertumnus.

Virdomarus, IV. x. 41. King of the
Insubres ; slaiu by M. Claudius
Marcellus at Clastidium in 222

B.C.

Vlixes, II. VI. 23, ix. 7, xiv. 3

xxvi. 37 ; III. VII. 41, XII. 23.
Vmber, I. xx. 7 ; III. xxii. 23 ;

IV. I. 124.
Vnibria, I. xxii. 9 ; IV. i. 63, 64,

121.
Volsinii, IV. ii. 4. A town in

Etruria, tlie moderu Bolsena.

Xerxes, II. I. 22. The allusion in
this passage is to Xerxes' attempt
to cut a canal across the pro-
montory of Athos.

Zephyrus, I. XVI. 34, XVIII. 2.
Zetes, I. XX. 26. A winged son of

the North Wind.
Zethus, III. XV. 29, 41. Son of

Antiopa and Jupiter, brother of

Amphion.

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FIRST TWENTY

Ready in September 191 2

THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS, translated by Kirsopp Lake, of
the University of Leyden. 2 volumes. Volume I, September.
[Volume II, November.]

THE CONFESSIONS OF ST. AUGUSTINE, translated by
W. Watts (163 1). 2 volumes,

EURIPIDES, translated by A. S. Way, of the University of London.
4 volumes, Volume I, Iphigeneia at Aulis — Rhesus — Hecuba
— The Daughters of Troy — Helen ; Volume II, Electra —
Orestes — Iphigeneia in Taurica — Andromache — Cyclops.

PHILOSTRATUS, THE LIFE OF APOLLONIUS OF TYANA,

translated by F. C. Conybeare, of University College, Oxford.
2 volumes.

PROPERTIUS, translated by H. E. Butler, of the University of
London. i volume,

TERENCE, translated by John Sargeaunt, of Westminster School.
2 volumes. Volume I, Lady of Andros — Self-Tormentor— -
Eunuch 5 Volume II, Phormio — Mother-in-Law — Brothers,

Ready in Novemher 1 9 1 2

APOLLONIUS RHODIUS, translated by R. C. Seaton, of Jesus
CoUege, Cambridge. i volume.

APPIAN'S ROMAN HISTORY, translated by Horace White, of
New York. 4 volumes. Volumes I and II.

CATULLUS, translated by F. W. Cornlsh, Vice-Provost of Eton
CoUege 5 TIBULLUS, translated by J. P. Postgate, of Liverpool
University ; PERVIGILIUM VENERIS, translated by J. W.
MackaiL i volume.

CICERO'S LETTERS TO ATTICUS, translated by E. O. Winstedt,
of Magdalen College, Oxford. 3 volumes. Volume I.

JULIAN, translated by W. C. Wright, of Bryn Mawr College.
3 volumes. Volume I.

LUCIAN, translated by A. M. Harmon, of Princeton University.
8 volumes. Volume I.

SOPHOCLES, transkted by F. Storr, of Trinity College, Cam-
bridge. 2 volumes. Volume I, Oedipus the King — Oedipus
at Colonus — Antigone.

THEOCRITUS, BION AND MOSCHUS, translated by J. M.
Edmonds, of Jesus CoUege, Cambridge. 1 volume,

FURTHER VOLUMES PROJECTED IN THE
LOEB CLASSICAL LIBRARY

GREEK AUTHORS

AESCHINES, translated by C. D. Adams, of Dartmouth College.
2 volumes.

APPIAN, translated by Horace White, of New York. Volumes
III and IV.

A.RISTOPHANES, translated by J. W. W^hite, of Hatvard
University. 3 volumes.

ARISTOTLE, THE POLITICS AND THE ATHENIAN
CONSTITUTION, translated by Edward Capps, of Princeton
University. 1 volume.

LIST OF FURTHER YOUJME^—continued

DAPHNIS AND CHLOE, translated by J. M. Edmonds, of Jesus
College, Cambridge. i volume.

DIO CASSIUS, translated by H. G. Foster (1906), revised by
E. Cary, of Princeton University. 8 volumes.

EURIPIDES, translated by A. S. Way, of the Universityof London.
Volumes III and IV.

GREEK LYRICS, translated by J. M. Edmonds, of Jesus College,
Cambridge. 1 volume.

LUCIAN, translated by A. M. Harmon, of Princeton University.
Volumes II-VIII.

MANETHO, translated byS.de Ricci. 1 volume.

MENANDER, translated by F. G. Aliinson, of Brown University.
I volume.

PAUSANIAS, translated by W. H. S. Jones, of St. Catharine*s

CoUege, Cambridge. 5 volumes.

PLUTARCH, TWELVE LIVES, translated by B. Perrin, of Yale
University. 2 volumes.

OUINTUS SMYRNAEUS, translated by A. S. Way, of the Univer-
sity of London. i volume.

STRABO, translated by J. R. S. Sterrett, of Cornell University.
8 volumes.

THUCYDIDES, translated by C. F. Smith, of the University of
Wisconsin. 2. volumes.

XENOPHON, CYROPAEDIA, translated by Walter Miller,of the
Univcrsitv of Missouri. 2 volumes.

LATIN AUTHORS

APULEIUS, GCLDEN ASS, translated by W. Addlington (1566),
revised by S. Gaselee, of Magdalene CoUege, Cambridge.
2 volumes.

CAESAR'S GALLIC WARS, translated by Lieut.-Col. H. J.
Edwards, C.B., of Peterhouse, Cambridge t volume.

LIST OF FURTHER VOLUMES-^contime^

CICERO, DE FINIBUS, translated by H. Rackham, of Christ'»
CcUege, Cambridge. i volume.

DE OFFICIIS, translated by Walter Miller, of the University
of Missouri. i volume.

FAMILIARES, translated by E. O. Winstedt, of Magdalen
College, Oxford. 5 volumes.

LETTERS TO ATTICUS, translated by E. O. Winstedt, of
Magdalen Cpllege, Oxford, Volume II.

HORACE, EPISTLES AND SATIRES, translated by W.G. Hale,
of the University of Chicago, and G. L. Hendrickson, of Yale
University. i volume.

ODES AND EPODES, translated by C. E. Bennett, of Cornell
University. i voiume.

PLAUTUS, translated by Paul Nixon, of Bowdoin College. 4
volumes.

PETRONIUS, translated by M. Heseltine, of New CoUege, Oxford.
i volume.

PLINY'S LETTERS, Mellmott^s translation, revised.

SENECA^S TRAGEDIES, translated by F. J. Miller, of the
University of Chicago. 2 volumes.

SUETONIUS, translated by J. C. Rolfe, of the University of
Pennsylvania. 2 volumes.

TACITUS, DIALOGUS, translated by Wm. Peterson, of McGill
University ; GERMANIA AND AGRICOLA, translated by
Maurice Hutton, of the University of Toronto. i volunie.

VIRGIL, translated by H. R. Fairclough, of Stamford University.
2 volumes.

Ful/ Frospecius on application,

NoTE : Under the \!\^^Machines orMind^ Dr, Rouse has
written an essay on the advantages to be gained by study of
the Classics. It v/ill be forwarded post-free on application.

LONDON : WILLIAM HEINEMANN, 21 BEDFORD ST.W.C.

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